Warriors: The Unseen Powers: Mist
by TheAzuraStar
Summary: Mistpaw is just your average everyday ThunderClan cat. Or, at least, that's what her Clanmates think. She is really the Mist, one of the three cats mentioned in a mysterious prophecy from StarClan. Soon, her life is turned upside down, and she is thrown head-long into a battle she's not quite sure she's ready for. DISCONTINUED!
1. Prologue

**Sky'sFire here. Some of you may(or may not) recall my original Omen of the Stars: Mist fanfic(which I deleted a while ago), that I wrote while still under the Pen Name of Poppystream. It was very short, barely over 6,000 words. I'm re-writing it now, and making it longer. For fans of the original, keep in mind that I may be changing the plotline a bit, but nothing that makes it completely different.**

**This story also takes place during OOTS.(Omen of the Stars, for those of you who do not understand)  
**

**So enjoy!  
**

**Oh, and I don't own the Warriors series. Obviously, hence _FanFiction_._Net._  
**

* * *

**Prologue**

It was a starry night. The moon was just a tiny claw-shape in the sky. Wind flowed effortlessly through the trees, and every once in a while, the sound of an owl hooting rose into the quiet stillness.

A small gray tabby tom with sightless blue eyes was sitting in the center of the ThunderClan camp. Despite his blindness, he stared up at the sky with a strange intensity, as if he could see every star in Silverpelt. He had a strange feeling that he couldn't get rid of. Like something big was about to happen.

Then, behind the young tom the soft footfalls of another cat approaching reached his ears.

The gray cat dipped his head in the newcomer's direction, meowing, "Firestar."

The Clan leader, the cat known as Firestar, sat down beside the first cat, and spoke, "Have you heard anything from StarClan lately, Jayfeather?"

Jayfeather the medicine cat shook his head. "I'm afraid not," he meowed seriously. "Then again, StarClan usually wait until full moon to share news." He turned to fix his gaze on Firestar. "Is there any particular reason for your curiosity?"

Firestar kneaded the earth with his paws, wondering whether to say anything or not. Finally, he sighed, "It's the newest kit to ThunderClan. Mistkit."

Jayfeather's ears pricked, and he cocked his head to the side a bit. "What about her?"

Firestar hesitated. Should he...?

In the distance an owl hooted. Firestar wondered briefly whether it was hunting some poor helpless mouse. He shook his head rapidly, dispelling the random thought.

"She seems...different than her denmates. I don't see her play with the other kits, and I often see her staring off into the open air, like she's seeing something no other cat can." Firestar said hurriedly.

Jayfeather blinked. "And this makes you think there's something about her? Something that StarClan may know?" The medicine cat seemed a bit interested.

Firestar glanced down at the ground. "I don't know," he meowed finally. "But I do know that she's not like any kit I've ever seen before."

Jayfeather sighed. "I wish I could help more, Firestar, I really do. But I can't." He then got to his paws and dipped his head to his leader. "I should go back now and get some rest."

As Jayfeather padded off, leaving the ThunderClan leader to ponder over his thoughts, he still had that odd feeling from before. But now that he had spoken to Firestar about Mistkit, he felt as if this feeling had increased tenfold. Was Firestar right? Was Mistkit really just the average, normal everyday kit that was born into a Clan?

Something was telling the medicine cat that no, Mistkit was not anything average.

He'd have to keep an eye on her. Metaphorically speaking, anyway.

* * *

**There it is. Mist's prologue, done at last. Yeah, it's short, I know. Usually my chapters range from anywhere to 1200 words to 2000 words. Prologues are the exception, though. They're never that long.**

**So leave a review and tell me what you think! Helpful criticism and suggestions are always appreciated here.  
**

**~Sky'Fire  
**


	2. ShadowCats and Brothers

**I'd like to thank xScarclawx, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, and Rainkit for reviewing/alerting/favouriting this story. It's nice to know people like it this much.  
**

**BTW, I just thought I'd say that this is kinda like my own version of OOTS, so things _will_ be different than the books. Part of the reason for this is because the original Mist was written around the same time as the first or second OOTS book came out, so by that point, I had no idea what would happen in the future books. In short, this story takes place after the second OOTS book. And let's just pretend that the next four book after that never happened, alright?  
**

**I do not own Warriors.**

**Let the chapter begin!  
**

* * *

**Chapter One  
**

It was a quiet morning that Mistkit, a young ThunderClan kit, woke up to.

Mistkit looked around the nursery with sleepy, pale amber eyes. And, although she had no littermates to share the morning with, she was fine with that. Mistkit preferred solitude, which was one of the reasons she never played with her denmates, Swiftkit and Stonekit. That and the two brothers were five, almost six moons old, while she was just two moons.

As she rose to her paws, Mistkit shook a few scraps of stubborn moss from her dark blue-gray fur, and observed her surroundings. There wasn't much to observe, however. Swiftkit and Stonekit were gone, most likely outside and bothering the warriors as they did their daily duties. Their mother, Ferncloud, was no where to be seen. The she-cat most likely had slipped off to do some morning hunting, as she had taken to doing almost every morning.

Mistkit's own mother, Cinderheart, was curled up in her mossy nest, right next to Mistkit herself. Her dark gray flank rose and fell as she breathed. She was sleeping. In the corner of the den, Daisy was sleeping in her nest, the cream-furred she-cat's tail twitching as she dreamed.

Like usual, the nursery was bland and a bit on the boring side.

Mistkit padded across the mossy floor of the nursery, and slipped out partway. Outside, the camp was bustling with cats. Warriors were ordering around their apprentices, and the apprentices scrambled to obey those orders. It was a normal day.

Mistkit glanced up at the sky. It was clear and sunny, not a cloud in sight. A perfect day.

As the small gray-blue kit slipped out of the nursery fully, she spotted the almost identical dark gray tabby pelts of Stonekit and Swiftkit. They were dong exactly what Mistkit had thought earlier; bothering the warriors and getting under every cat's paws. Mistkit shook her head at them, slightly amused.

Over by the fresh-kill pile, Mistkit saw the golden tabby pelt of her father, Lionblaze. He was speaking to two other warriors, a long legged black tom, Spiderleg, and a ginger warrior, Foxleap.

Mistkit blinked and purred softly. Her father was a well-respected warrior of ThunderClan, even though he was half-WindClan. She was proud to be his daughter.

Then, something strange caught her eye, tugging her attention away from her father.

Was that a cat crouched over in the shadows? Mistkit narrowed her eyes. His pelt colour was strangely indistinguishable, and his amber eyes glowed unnaturally bright. He was watching the Clan with interest, and even though he was clearly there, no other cat seemed to notice him.

Mistkit stared, wondering who this cat was. She didn't remember ever seeing him before. And why was no one paying any attention to him? A heart-beat later, she knew what was happening.

_It's happened again, _she thought grimly. _Another shadow-cat has appeared to me._

Just as that she was pondering over the tom, the strange cat swiveled his head and stared in Mistkit's direction. Those bright amber irises seemed to pierce right through her. She shivered, but was unable to tear her gaze away.

The cat rose to his paws, and to Mistkit's extreme surprise, the shadows swathed around his body seemed to move with him. He took a step toward her, and suddenly frightened, Mistkit took a stumbling step back, flattening her ears to her head. He kept coming, weaving his way around her Clanmates expertly. He even brushed the pelt of a few cats as he walked, but they payed him no mind.

_What in the name of StarClan is going on? Why does this keep happening?_ She thought, and took another step back.

Even though he was clearly out of the shadows now, the tom's pelt was still obscured by a strange dark substance that seemed to suck the light out of everything he got close to.

When he was just a few tail-lengths away from Mistkit, he abruptly stopped his advance. He just stood there and watched her, his eyes still glowing strangely. Then, he opened his jaws, and spoke. Well, he tried to, but all that came out of his mouth was...nothing. Silence. She couldn't hear a word he was saying.

And then, when a hunting patrol passed in front of Mistkit's vision and when they were gone, the tom was nowhere to be seen.

He had all but vanished into thin air.

* * *

That had not been the first encounter with something strange.

It happened occasionally, ever since she first opened her eyes. Mistkit would see cats that no one else could. Sometimes they'd be just sitting in the shadows, watching. Sometimes they'd be following cats around, their pelts swathed in shadows and their eyes unnaturally bright. And no cat _ever _noticed them, except for Mistkit. And then they'd be gone when something distracted her or passed in front of her eyes. It was unnerving and terrifying.

But however, today was the first time that any of those strange shadowy cats had noticed her back. She'd always stare and watch whenever she saw one, but not once did they ever return it. Until now.

She was scared to think of what this could possibly mean, for her and her Clan.

* * *

Mistkit gaped at the spot where the cat had been just a few moments ago.

_Is there something wrong with me? _Mistkit thought. _Why can I see things no one else can?_

As she stared blindly at that particular spot, she didn't notice that something had crept up behind her until it was on top of her.

She was pinned to the earthy ground by a grinning Swiftkit, flat on her belly. His voice sounded in her ear, "Spacing out again, Mistkit? How typical of you~"

The small blue-gray kit huffed in annoyance at her denmate. "How many times have I told you not to creep up on me like that?"

"A lot." Came Swiftkit's cheeky reply. "But it was too good to resist! You weren't paying any attention!"

A sigh. "Swiftkit, please let me up."

"Alright~!" Swiftkit meowed, hoping off, and allowing Mistkit to heave herself to her paws.

As Mistkit glared at her hyper denmate, Stonekit was standing a little ways off, watching her and Swiftkit with cool blue eyes. The way he watched them...it was almost unfriendly.

* * *

Stonekit had never been particularly fond of her, even while his hyper brother was always trying to get her to play.

Mistkit had first noticed this when Swiftkit had been teasing her about her fur, which had been messed up at the time.(It was Swiftkit's fault in the first place, for leaping at her without warning.)

Stonekit had been watching her with something like contempt in his eyes, and being the very young kit she was, didn't know what the look had meant. So when she had tried to be friendly, he had just turned his back on her with a snort.

That was the first and last time Mistkit had ever attempted to be friends with him.

Of course, Swiftkit didn't appear to notice the dislike his brother had for her. Or maybe he just didn't care.

Either way, Mistkit was fine with her 'relationship' with the two brothers.

Even if she didn't understand Stonekit's obvious dislike of her.

* * *

Swiftkit prodded Mistkit in the side, and the young she-cat jumped a tail-length into the air.

"Swiftkit!" Mistkit shrieked at him.

"Sorry!" Swiftkit gasped though laughter, not sounding sorry at all. "But you were spacing out again."

"Oh, was I?" Mistkit retorted. "And what makes you think that scaring me out of my fur is a good idea?"

Swiftkit just purred again, ignoring her annoyed tone.

"You are hopeless," Mistkit snorted, rolling her eyes.

"Who says that's a bad thing?" Swiftkit meowed, giving Mistkit a smug look as she fumbled for a good response to his words.

"You're annoying!" She finally blurted out at the larger kit.

"Tell me something I don't know." Came Swiftkit's reply.

Mistkit's fur started bristle with frustration. "You are so...!" She trailed off, not finishing her sentence.

"I'm what? I'm already hopeless and annoying. What else can you use to describe me?" He asked her with a playful challenge in his green eyes.

"Just... never-mind!" Mistkit grumbled. Swiftkit's smug look grew.

"Too bad...it's so fun to get under your fur! And it's easy, too!" The dark gray tabby tom purred.

"Whatever," Mistkit retorted. "I'm going back to the nursery." And she whipped around to plunge back into her den. Unfortunately, she wasn't that lucky.

She crashed straight into Stonekit's side, who was was heading to the same place as her. She could hear Swiftkit's snicker from behind her. If she didn't know better, she'd think he had planned this all out.

The more aggressive of the two brothers glared down at her. "Watch it, mouse-brain!" He spat at her, before breezing ahead of her into the nursery.

Mistkit froze in shock, eyes wide. _Who put nettles in his breakfast? He's more irritable than normal._

Swiftkit came up beside her, mrowwing softly with laughter. "Why that look on your face? You know how Stonekit is."

_Yeah. I know _how_ he is, but I don't know _why _he's like that. I wish I did._ Mistkit thought.

Mistkit just shook her head, and padded into the nursery, more hesitantly now. She didn't want to be snapped at like that again.

When she entered the nursery, Stonekit was curled up slightly in an empty nest. Though, when she came in, Mistkit couldn't help but notice how his shoulders stiffened slightly.

_StarClan, why does Stonekit hate me so much?_

* * *

**There! It's a bit on the boring side I think, but Chapter one is finished! Please leave a review! :P  
**

**~Sky'sFire  
**


	3. The Battle

**Thank you to Amber342, xScarclawx, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, Mosstar, Pebbleheart83062, and tinckles for the reviews/alerts.  
**

**:P This chapter took a while to write, and to be honest, I'm not a big fan of it. Maybe you guys'll think differently. Enjoy!  
**

**I do not own Warriors.**

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**Chapter 2**

"Mistkit!" Swiftkit's, _no,_ Swift_paw's_ voice called to her. She watched as the newly made apprentice padded over to her, leaving Stonepaw standing by himself. The young tom did not looked pleased about this.

"I'm an apprentice now!" The gray tabby tom all but sang happily.

"Yes, I can see that." Her gaze flicked over to Stonepaw. "And so is your brother."

Stonepaw gazed back coldly at her. Mistkit raised her chin almost defiantly. She didn't do anything wrong. There was no reason why he should be looking at her like that.

Swiftpaw's voice snapped her attention back to him, "Yeah! When we become warriors, the other Clans won't dare mess with us then!"

Mistkit purred. That was Swiftpaw; he was always bragging about something.

"We'll be the greatest warriors the Clans have ever seen!" Swiftpaw continued, green eyes bright. He looked at Mistkit briefly. "And of course, I'll always be there to protect you, Mistkit!" He added mischievously.

"I can take care of myself!" Mistkit retorted instantly. "I don't need you or your brother to look out for me!"

"Not like I would watch out for _you_ anyway." Stonepaw's voice cut across. He had padded up to stand beside his brother, and now he glared down at Mistkit.

Anger swelled within Mistkit. "Well, good! I wouldn't want _you_ tailing my every step anyway!"

As the two cats glared at each-other, with Swiftpaw left to try and cool things down, none of them heard the sudden rapid paw-steps that sounded just outside the camp. In the end, it was Thornclaw, a golden-brown tabby tom who alerted the Clan of the intruders.

A loud warning yowl rang out, making every cat who heard stiffen. "WindClan! WindClan are invading!"

And then the deathly still ThunderClan cats exploded into action, snapping out orders to other cats while racing toward the direction Thornclaw's yowl.

Stonepaw and Swiftpaw were called away by their mentors, leaving Mistkit standing alone in the center of camp, confused and frightened.

Two things happened next. Mistkit heard Cinderheart call out, "Mistkit, get to the nursery, now!", and then the camp entrance rattled violently, and cats spilled into ThunderClan's camp, followed by even more.

With a terrified yowl, Mistkit turned and fled for the nursery, streaking across the camp.

But luck never seemed to be on Mistkit's side. A dark shape reared up in front of her suddenly, and a paw swipe sent her sprawling sideways.

Mistkit's eyes fixed themselves on the brown-furred shape of a cat who was stalking slowly toward her. A WindClan apprentice...?

The cat faltered in his step as he realized that she was only a kit, but by that point, it was already too late for him. A blurred gray shape hurled itself at him, rolling him over with a battle yowl.

_Swiftpaw!_ Mistkit thought at first, but then identified the cat to be Stonepaw instead.

Stonepaw's claws raked across the nose of the WindClan intruder who was pinned beneath him, and the brown tom screeched in pain and fury, wriggling out from under him. As soon as he was free, the tom sprang away from Stonepaw's outstretched claws, and soon they were locked in a heated glaring contest. They each seemed to be taunting the other to make the next attack.

Mistkit took this opportunity to dash for the nursery, before another cat attacked her. She dove into the safety of the den, which happened to be empty, and then hovered around the entrance, staring out at the battle.

Beyond Stonepaw and the WindClan cat, Mistkit could see her Clanmates struggling to fight off the intruding cats. Her mother was flank to flank with Sorreltail, and the two she-cats were battling three WindClan warriors. A tail-length away from that battle, Lionblaze was clawing viciously at another cat, who quickly turned tail and fled.

Blood and fur spattered the ground, and Mistkit could barely even hear herself think over the screeching and spitting.

Up until now, Mistkit had a relatively peaceful life. Now she was getting a taste of how cruel and harsh Clan life could really be. Was this how it always was? Were the Clans constantly fighting each-other?

Mistkit could only watch in horror as the battle continued. Too much blood. Too many cats yowling in pain. Mistkit shut her eyes and crouched as low to the ground as she could. She realized then and there she disliked fighting.

She didn't know know how long she stayed like that, trying to tune out the sounds of battle. She didn't want to open her eyes again and witness the bloodshed anymore. She wanted this to stop.

It was at that point that a screech rang out, rising above all others. A screech of agony being torn from a cat's throat. The sound battered at Mistkit's ears, and the young kit's eyes snapped open as she recognized the scream.

Mistkit watched from her position near the nursery's entrance as Stonepaw, who was now bloodied and battered, was thrown effortlessly to the ground by a warrior easily twice his size. His dark gray sides heaved as he tried to stumble back to his feet, but before he could, the WindClan cat struck him a vicious blow to the head, and he flopped back down.

Mistkit's eyes widened in horror. _Stonepaw..._ she thought weakly as the WindClan tom stalked over to her former denmate. Stonepaw didn't get up and try to fight. He just laid on the ground, stunned.

Without warning, a feeling of anger swept through Mistkit, white-hot and powerful. Her muscles tensed without her permission, and the next thing she knew, she was hurtling across the blood-stained camp ground toward Stonepaw and the WindClan warrior.

Honestly, she didn't know what had come over her. She didn't know why she was racing to help a cat that had never once acknowledged her in a friendly way. Maybe it was the fact that she could let a cat from another Clan beat a Clanmate, or maybe it was that even though Stonepaw had never liked her, deep down, Mistkit still wanted to be his friend.

The reason didn't matter in the end. Stonepaw was in danger. He had to be helped.

Mistkit hurled herself at the WindClan cat's back, letting out a fearful yowl. She had no idea how to fight, but then again, neither did Stonepaw or Swiftpaw. The brothers had only been made apprentices today, after all.

Digging her claws as deep as she could into the warrior's pelt, she felt him rear back in surprise. Mistkit immediately started to feel her grip slip. A moment later, she slid down to the ground, and the WindClan warrior turned on her, paw raised to deal a painful attack.

_Uh oh! What do I do? What in the name of StarClan do I do? _She thought fearfully.

Paralyzed by fear, she just shut her eyes tight and stood there, unable to do anything more than take his attack head on. Something hit her, though not from the direction she was expecting.

Mistkit felt a heavy weight slam into her from the side, and she rolled with the impact. Her head was rammed against something hard, and stars exploded into her vision, followed by a numbing darkness.

The last thing she saw before falling into the blackness was a flash of gray and a sudden spray of blood...

* * *

**There! An attempt at a cliffhanger. Please review!**

**~Sky'sFire  
**


	4. Goodbye, Swiftpaw

**Thank you, Amber342, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, tinckles, and Sundusk for the reviews/favourite/alert.  
**

**This chapter focuses more on the rest of ThunderClan than on Swiftpaw and Stonepaw. I tried to have him a little less in this chapter.  
**

**It also happens to be the longest one yet. And maybe my least favourite.  
**

**Enjoy!  
**

**I do not own Warriors****.**

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**Chapter Three**

_Great StarClan, why does my head feel like a tree just fell on it?_ Thought Mistkit as her eyes opened slowly. The first thing she saw was pale moonlight flooding into the den- wait, was this the medicine cat's den? Why was she in here...?

Then it came back to her. Swiftpaw and Stonepaw's apprentice ceremony, the battle, and then...it was blurry around the edges, but Mistkit could recall being slammed into, and then blacking out.

But why had she been in the battle in the first place? For the life of her, Mistkit could not remember why she had been out among the fighting cats. Had that blow to the head done something more than just send her unconscious?

Her thoughts were interrupted however, by the voice of ThunderClan's medicine cat, Jayfeather. "Awake, I see. You were lucky that all you got was a minor blow to the head. It could have been much worse."

Mistkit spun around in the mossy nest she was currently residing in. She demanded, "You knew I was awake? How?"

Jayfeather snorted, "I know things. Don't ask me how."

Mistkit fell silent for a moment. "What happened?" She finally asked. "The battle with WindClan..."

The medicine cat was busy sorting through a pile of leaves when he responded, "We drove them out." He said simply. "Though not without receiving injuries."

The young she-cat looked at her paws. "The attack was so unprovoked...what did ThunderClan ever do to WindClan?"

"WindClan has held a certain dislike for us ever since Onestar became their leader. This is not the first time they've attacked us directly in our own camp." Jayfeather meowed without looking up from his task. Not like he would need to anyway.

"But _why?_" Mistkit insisted, tearing at the nest with her claws. "Why does Onestar and WindClan hate us so much? Why would they just attack us without a reason?"

Jayfeather looked at her then. Despite him being blind, it actually seemed like he could see her. It unnerved her a little bit.

"Mistkit, the Clans are rivals. There is always a reason."

Mistkit looked away with a sigh. Why did it have to be so complicated? Why couldn't the Clans just get along? After a moment of brooding silence, Mistkit meowed slowly, "Well, at least no one got seriously injured."

There was no response from the gray tabby medicine cat, but the air was suddenly filled with tension. He turned away from her, and looked blankly at the leaves at his paws.

Mistkit flattened her ears to her head in uncertainty. "Right? No one got hurt too badly, did they, Jayfeather?"

There was another long silence, and Mistkit began to grow increasingly anxious. Finally, the blind tom sighed, and meowed into the tense silence, "Mistkit, Swiftpaw is dead." He paused. "He was killed by a warrior, while trying to save you and his brother."

The den went dead silent. Neither cat seemed to breath. Mistkit was rapidly replaying what had happened earlier in the battle, trying to remember something, anything about Swiftpaw.

At last she recalled her last moments before blacking out; a flash of gray fur, a spray of scarlet red blood...

"No!" Mistkit gasped. "That's not possible! Swiftpaw- he can't be dead! He was going to be a great warrior! _It's not possible!_"

Jayfeather padded closer to her. "It is. He hunts with StarClan now."

"He wasn't supposed to die!" Mistkit shrieked suddenly, leaping to her paws. She recalled his words to her before the battle. _And of course, I'll always be there to protect you, Mistkit!_

_And you did! But it wasn't supposed to be with your life!_ Mistkit thought desperately. _Oh, if only I hadn't rushed into that battle! Would you still be alive, Swiftpaw?_

Suddenly feeling defeated, Mistkit slumped back down into the mossy nest. Her head throbbed dully, but she payed that no mind. Her friend was dead - and it was her fault.

* * *

Jayfeather sensed Mistkit's anger and disbelief, and practically heard what she was thinking. And then, that anger dissipated, and he heard her paws give way beneath her. He felt the waves of grief radiating off of her, and he was reminded of his sister, Hollyleaf. Had he not felt something similar when she had died?

Jayfeather laid his tail tip on the kit's shoulder gently. "It's not your fault, Mistkit," he meowed, voice surprisingly gentle. "Swiftpaw made the choice to save you and his brother. He died a noble death, worthy of a warrior."

Jayfeather could tell that his words hardly reached her. But what else could he do? What good would stepping into her thoughts do, when he already knew what they would hold?

"Swiftpaw..." Mistkit murmured, voice soft.

Jayfeather was surprised to sense a sudden change in her emotions, because suddenly, her mind seemed to clear, as if she had given herself a mental shake. When he probed into her thoughts further, trying to figure out the change, he was surprised to find a thorny barrier. He frowned, puzzled.

"I'm okay now," came Mistkit's voice, and she shook off the tail still resting on her shoulder. "I'll be fine." Her tone was blank of emotion for the most part, and Jayfeather realized that she was hiding her emotions from him. Something that was normally difficult to do.

_It's almost like she knows what I can do. But how can she? _He thought.

He then remembered the conversation with Firestar from last moon. _She seems...different than her denmates. _Firestar had told him. _...I often see her staring off into the open air, like she's seeing something no other cat can._

How could he have forgotten that conversation? At the time, Firestar had seemed so anxious and worried.

And now Jayfeather could see why the ThunderClan leader had his suspicions, though Jayfeather's own were for slightly different reasons.

He could see it now. Yes, Mistkit was definitely strange.

* * *

Mistkit forced herself to act calm. She couldn't lose her cool in front of the medicine cat any more than she already had. Swiftpaw was dead, yes, but life went on. That's what she tried to tell herself.

_Swiftpaw...I won't forget you. I think...that I can call you a friend. Yes. A very dear friend. May StarClan light your path, Swiftpaw._

Mistkit blinked, watching the medicine cat. He had an almost wary expression as he regarded her with his blind eyes. What was up with him all of a sudden? Had she done something weird and not realized it? She didn't think so...

At last, Jayfeather stopped 'looking' at her like that. "That's the way to think about it," he advised. "Swiftpaw is watching over us from StarClan." Was it just Mistkit, or was there a slight edge to his voice?

Mistkit suddenly wanted to get out of here. She slowly rose to her paws, aware of the light throbbing sensation that sprang to life in her head as she did so. She took a tentative step forward, testing herself.

"What are you doing?" Jayfeather asked suddenly.

"Leaving." Mistkit said curtly, starting to get unnerved by the medicine cat's piercing stare and wary voice.

Jayfeather made a noise of consent in the back of his throat, and then said, "Don't do anything to bother that head injury. If you start feeling dizzy or light-headed, come straight back here."

Mistkit agreed, and then left Jayfeather's den, glad to be away from the tom's strange looks and tone.

Outside, she was immediately greeted by her mother.

"Mistkit! What were you thinking, running off into the battle like that? You could have died! Is that what you want? To end up like Swiftpaw?" Cinderheart's voice was loud and scolding, and Mistkit crouched low, taking each of her words in without saying anything in response, but when she mentioned Swiftpaw, anger swelled in her heart.

"I know, and I'm sorry, alright?" Mistkit growled.

"No, it's not _alright. _You can't just go running around as you please. You're a kit; your job is to stay in the nursery until you're old enough to be apprenticed." Cinderheart retorted angrily.

"Stonepaw would have died if I just 'stayed in the nursery'!" Mistkit suddenly spat, her neck fur bristling.

"Some other cat would have helped him." Her mother meowed curtly, and then went soft. "You're my only daughter, my only kit, Mistkit. If you died, what would I do? Who would that help?"

Mistkit knew she was right. She looked down at her paws, her anger evaporating. "I'm sorry." She murmured.

Cinderheart sighed, and leaned over to lick her daughter's head. "I know." She drew back. "Are you alright? How are you feeling? I visited you earlier in Jayfeather's den, but you were still sleeping."

"I'm fine." Mistkit responded, raising her head. "I only got hit in the head. Nothing too serious."

Cinderheart nodded briefly. "Off to the nursery with you, then. You look like you could use some more rest." She meowed.

Mistkit's eyes widened. She looked around her mother, and saw the limp shape of Swiftpaw laying on the ground in the center of camp. Around him, a few cats were crouched down beside him. She recognized Stonepaw, his brother, Ferncloud, his mother, and Dustpelt, his father, among them.

"Cinderheart...I'd like to sit vigil for Swiftpaw." Mistkit meowed suddenly.

Her mother was silent for a heart-beat. "Alright." She meowed finally, softly. "You may."

Mistkit wasted no time in padding around her mother, and toward Swiftpaw's well groomed body. No cat looked up at her as she approached. She squeezed past a few cats, and reached Swiftpaw. She looked down at him.

He was smaller in death, it seemed. Mistkit felt her heart squeeze as she remembered how hyper the young tom had been. Now he was devoid off life, laying on the ground. If she didn't know better, Mistkit would have thought he was just sleeping.

"Swiftpaw..." Mistkit whispered. Her voice seemed to bring Stonepaw, who was crouching down across from her, out of the trance he was in. He looked up at her, and Mistkit shivered at his expression.

Blank. Lifeless. There was a horrible dead look in his eyes. Seeing her didn't even bring out the look of cold contempt he always wore when he looked at her. He just...stared right through her.

She felt sorry for him. He was close to his brother, closer to him than any other cat in the Clan.

Mistkit tore her gaze away from him, unable to go on meeting his gaze.

She crouched down low, and pressed her nose into Swiftpaw's now cold fur, inhaling the last of his scent. She shut her eyes, and prepared to sit there like that for the entire night.

_Swiftpaw. Have a safe journey to StarClan, my friend._

* * *

Mistkit cracked open her eyes as sunlight finally broke over the tree-tops. She raised her head from Swiftpaw's icy-cold fur, and her neck cracked painfully from the first movement in hours.

As she watched, Stonepaw slowly raised his own head, and looked at her. His expression had changed from last night. It was now back to the same old look, but there was something different...

His eyes held sheer, undisguised hatred now. Mistkit winced. His look seemed to scream, _this is your fault!_

Mistkit dropped her eyes. _It's my fault, I know. I don't need any cat to tell me that._

She didn't move as she heard Stonepaw get up and walk away from his brother's body. She assumed he was going to the apprentice's den to sleep. She didn't really care.

Mistkit finally decided it was time to get up and go back to the nursery. She got to her paws, and walked away slowly, glancing back at her friend's limp shape a few times. Sadness pierced her, and she turned away for good and sprinted the rest of the way to the nursery.

Mistkit collapsed into her mossy nest, and pressed into her mother's fur for comfort. She felt Cinderheart's tongue rasp over her ears a few times, and this lulled the young kit into sleep.

Eyes closing, Mistkit recalled the last time she saw Swiftpaw alive. She smiled softly to herself. _Swiftpaw..._

She fell asleep to the soft laps of Cinderheart's tongue and the happy memory of Swiftpaw gazing warmly at her.

* * *

**There! Finally! That has to be the longest chapter I've ever written!**

**Truthfully, I disliked having to kill Swiftpaw. In this one, and in the original Mist. But, it needed to be done.  
**

**Don't forget to review!  
**

**~Sky'sFire  
**


	5. Four Moons Later

**I sincerely apologize for the late update. I hit a bit of a writer's block, but it's gone now.  
**

**Thank you to Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity and Amber342 for the reviews.  
**

**BTW, though you may already know this, my profile has the ThunderClan Allegiances for Mist, updated after each chapter is released. Check it out if you're curious.  
**

**I do not own Warriors. I only own my OC and the plot of this story.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Four  
**

"Hey! Mistpaw! Get up! We're going hunting!" Hazeltail's voice cut into the dream Mistpaw had been having.

Blinking open her pale amber eyes, the young ThunderClan apprentice raised her head and looked at her mentor, who had her head poked into the apprentice's den. Yawning, Mistpaw stood up and stretched.

She had been made an apprentice about half a moon ago, and currently, she was the only apprentice in the den.

Molepaw and Cherrypaw were now Molewhisker and Cherrywing.

Stonepaw had been named just a few nights ago, and was now Stoneheart. Secretly, Mistpaw thought the name suited the gray tom's personality, but she wouldn't ever say that out loud. The tom still wasn't too fond of her, even after four moons.

Mistpaw stood up, and shook her fur out. Then she padded out of the lonely little den, and blinked her eyes at the light.

A loud squeal attracted Mistpaw's attention, and she turned to see Ashkit and Echokit, two kits who had been two moons ago, leaping about and trying to catch the falling leaves.

Ashkit was a pale gray tom, while Echokit was a silver, gray and black little she-cat. They were Graystripe and Millie's newest litter.

As Mistpaw twitched her whiskers in amusement at the young kits, Mistpaw reflected back on how much had happened over the past four moons.

* * *

The birth of two new kits, the warrior ceremonies of three apprentices, Mistpaw's apprentice ceremony. That wasn't all that had happened, though.

After the surprise attack from WindClan, her Clan had been quick to retaliate. Firestar had launched an attack back on them about two days later. Mistpaw suspected that he hadn't wanted to, but with his Clan being in such an uproar over Swiftpaw's death, the flame-coloured tom had finally come to the decision to lead his Clan into battle.

It had not gone well. Both Clans had still been weak from the first attack, but ThunderClan had a particular hunger for WindClan blood, making the second fight much more bloody and violent than the first. Mistpaw was glad she wasn't there to witness that fight.

When it had ended, her Clanmates had returned home, every last cat bearing vicious wounds. But they had won. They had attacked WindClan in their camp directly, and had been victorious. Mistpaw heard that Onestar had pleaded for the lives of his Clanmates himself, and had apologized for the 'murder' of Swiftpaw.

WindClan hadn't even so much as set paw over the border since then, but Mistpaw suspected they'd be back to their old ways soon enough. The constant furious tension between the two Clans said that much.

Despite still having scars from that battle four moons ago, ThunderClan was thriving.

Other than that, the past moons had been relatively peaceful, aside from the occasional border skirmishes between neighboring Clans.

* * *

Mistpaw crossed the camp in a few easy bounds, and joined Hazeltail over by the camp exit. The two she-cats headed out into the forest to hunt. Mistpaw wasn't bad at hunting. She could easily say she hunted better than she fought.

A few hours later found Mistpaw and Hazeltail with a decent amount of fresk-kill. As the warrior and apprentice made their way back home, her mentor praised her, "You did well today Mistpaw. Keep up the good work."

Mistpaw purred at the older she-cat's praise. Hazeltail was a great mentor.

As the two cats padded through the trees, Mistpaw soon became aware of a strange presence nearby. The first indication she had of this was the sudden chills that were racing up and down her spine, followed by the sensation that she was being watched.

The young she-cat managed to fall a pace or two behind Hazeltail, without making the she-cat suspicious of anything, and she quickly scanned the undergrowth with her eyes. There was no sense in scenting the air, as her jaws were full of prey. If she set down her catch to sniff the air, it would alert Hazeltail, and Mistpaw didn't want to explain the strange feeling she was getting.

That was another thing. It was obvious that Hazeltail didn't sense the odd presence her apprentice did. This conviced Mistpaw that she was about to have another confrontation with a shadow-cat.

It hadn't happened in a while, so Mistpaw thought that a 'visit' from the strange cats was long overdue. She was right.

A few fox-lengths ahead of Mistpaw and Hazeltail, the shadows cast by the trees began to move. They twisted, curved, creating an unmistakable cat-shape in their midst. Hazeltail padded forward like nothing at all was happening, and Mistpaw had to force down her growing dread and do the same.

As they got closer, the apprentice could plainly see the brightly gleaming eyes, watching her and Hazeltail as they padded on. Mistpaw couldn't stop herself from shivering as she walked right past the shadowy mass, close enough to touch.

"Mistpaw? Is something wrong?" Hazeltail asked after a while, having noticed the shiver that had went through her apprentice, as well as the air of wariness that radiated off her. Mistpaw glanced up at Hazeltail, and then away just as quickly when she saw the concerned curiousity in her mentor's eyes.

"No. A bit of a chill went through me, that's all." Mistpaw meowed, and Hazeltail gave her a look, but let it drop. It wasn't a complete lie; Mistpaw just didn't say _where_ the chill had come from. Hazeltail would no doubt think she was either ill or making up stories if she told her mentor about the shadow-cats.

So that was why Mistpaw had promised herself a few moons ago that she'd never mention the odd cats to any other cat, no matter what. Maybe, if she refused to fully acknowledge the strange sightings by not telling anyone about them, they'd go away. It was a vain hope, though, because these cats were very real, and deep down, Mistpaw knew that.

* * *

Mistpaw padded into camp, with Hazeltail a tail-length ahead. Shortly after depositing her catches on the fresh-kill pile, save for a few pieces, Mistpaw turned and padded in the direction of the elder's den. Sometimes being the only apprentice in the Clan was hard work, but Mistpaw thought she could manage it just fine.

As she slipped into the sheltered den, Mistpaw could't keep her thoughts off of the shadow-cat she'd seen. What exactly were they? _Who_ were they? What did they want? Why did they keep appearing? _Why could Mistpaw see them, but no one else?_

Thoughts like these swam in her head as she gave the elder's their prey, and then removed their ticks with mouse-bile-soaked moss shortly after. She effectively tuned out Purdy's incessant chatter and Mousefur's complaints.

After she was finished with her tasks, including bringing prey to the nursery and changing the elder's bedding,(which in turn resulted in more of Purdy's chatter and Mousefur's complaints) Mistpaw was exhausted. After getting permission to retire to her den from Hazeltail, the young blue-furred she-cat dragged herself across camp toward her sleeping place.

She collapsed onto her nest with a huge sigh, and found herself asleep almost instantly after. But instead of peaceful, dreamless sleep like she'd hoped for, Mistpaw's unconsciousness was plagued by a vivid nightmare about today's encounter with the shadow-cat.

* * *

**There! Finally finished chapter four after working on it for who-knows-how-long. I'll admit, I wasn't particularily fond of this chapter, mainly because it took so dang long to write!**

**Mistpaw: Leave a review! Please! Sky begs you!**

**Sky'sFire:** **I do not beg! But a review would make me very happy. *puppy-dog eyes***


	6. The Patrol

**Sky'sFire: Hey there! Welcome to chapter 5!**

**Mistpaw: Sky would like to thank Amber342, DawnBlazeAbigail99, Strikestar, and Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity for the reviews/favourites.**

**Sky'sFire: Thank you Mistpaw. Now, as I've already stated in all previous chapters, I do not own Warriors. I hardly think I need to say it _yet again_. However, Mistpaw and Stoneheart belong to me!**

**Mistpaw: Hey! I'm not your personal property!**

**Stoneheart: I belong to no one!**

**Sky'sFire: *backs away slowly from angry cats* Okay, well you readers, just get on with reading this chapter...while I try and escape here with my life. *runs away***

**Mistpaw/Stoneheart: Get back here!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Morning came faster than Mistpaw would have liked, and the young she-cat blinked her eyes rapidly against the bright sunlight flooding into her den. _Ugh...my head feels like it just got hit by a Thunderpath monster. And I'm still so tired. Stupid nightmare. Stupid shadow-cats._

She groggily rose to her paws, trying to shut out her pounding head. She'd woken up several times during the night, all because of the same nightmare repeating in her head everytime she was unfortunate enough to fall back to sleep. Now it was too late to even bother trying to sleep anymore, even if she had wanted to.

Mistpaw left the den, grumbling quietly to herself about shadow-cats, and glanced around, wary of another shadowy encounter. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she padded across camp toward Hazeltail, who was over near the fresh-kill pile, talking to Brambleclaw. When she spotted her apprentice, the gray-and-white pelted she-cat turned away from Brambleclaw momentarily to adress her.

"Mistpaw, good, you're awake." Hazeltail meowed. "You will be joining me, Foxleap, and Brackenfur. We're heading out on a patrol to WindClan's border. Apparently they've been scented in our territory, and we're going to renew our own markers, as well as see if we can find any WindClan warriors stepping where they shouldn't be."

Mistpaw looked at her mentor nervously. WindClan? Were they really crossing into ThunderClan's territory? Or had some cat made a mistake? Maybe a WindClan warrior's scent had drifted over into their territory by the wind... though that seemed doubtful.

Not only that, Mistpaw could see that Hazeltail was looking slightly angry, which meant that if they encountered a WindClan partol on the border, there would be a confrontation. Mistpaw wasn't sure if she was ready for a fight. She's never been in one before! Well, there was WindClan's first invasion...but that didn't count!

Soon, the patrol was assembled, and the four ThunderClan cats were heading out through the trees. On the way there, Mistpaw couldn't help but be a bit jumpy. A shadow-cat could appear at any moment!

Hazeltail fell in step with her apprentice. "Mistpaw," she meowed, "Is everything alright? You've been acting odd ever since our hunting trip yesterday." Her mentor's voice was full of concern, and for a moment, Mistpaw wanted to tell her mentor about the shadow-cats. It would be so much easier if it wasn't just her who knew about them.

But she decided against letting Hazeltail in on it. It was her secret, her burden. She'd figure it out on her own.

"No, everything is fine." Mistpaw said to her metor, hoping Hazeltail would believe her and leave her be.

"If you're sure, then." The small she-cat meowed, and then left her apprentice to her thoughts, bounding forward to walk beside Brackenfur and Foxleap. Mistpaw watched her for a moment, and then fixed her gaze on the ground underpaw.

_Why does it have to be so complicated?_ Mistpaw thought in frustration. _Why can't I be just a normal ThunderClan apprentice?_

It wasn't long until they reached the border with WindClan, where they quickly went to work with renewing the scent markers. While the warriors did this, Mistpaw scanned the sparce territory that belonged to their WindClan neighbors. Seeing nothing but moorland and a far-off rabbit, Mistpaw turned her attention back toward her Clanmates.

Soon the border-marking was done, and the patrol began to talk amongst themselves.

"No trace of WindClan, it seems," Brackenfur stated. "Maybe Cherrywing made a mistake."

Hazeltail nodded in agreement. "Perhaps the wind blew the scent over the border," she meowed, voicing Mistpaw's earlier thoughts.

However, Foxleap looked doubtful. "I don't think any cat made a mistake. If the wind can blow scents around that easily, who can say it didn't just blow WindClan's _away_ from our territory? We can't really know for sure."

"Exactly." Brackenfur meowed, and then continued, "Whether there was a scent here or not, it won't do us any good by standing here doing nothing. Let's get back to camp."

The rest of the patrol agreed, and started off into the trees. Mistpaw hesitated. During the warriors' conversation, Mistpaw thought that she might have saw something up on the moorland, but id had been gone before she could be sure. Now she stared out at the foreign territory, eyes narrowed.

It was Foxleap who first noticed that Mistpaw wasn't following. He broke away from the others and headed over to her quickly. "Mistpaw. Something up?" He asked, and followed her gaze. After a moment, he frowned and turned back to her.

"No... I just thought I saw something." Mistpaw responded distantly, eyes still fixed on WindClan's land. "Let's go." She said, and began padding after Hazeltail and Brackenfur, Foxleap following.

However, the sudden snap of a twig brought Mistpaw's attention back to the border again. Foxleap stared too, and the patrol a little bit up ahead finally realized it was missing two of it's members and turned back.

What Mistpaw saw made her fur stand on end. A WindClan patrol, most likely what she had seen earlier. Three cats, all small and wiry, exactly how she remembered them from the battle four moons ago.

* * *

**Yes, very short, I know. I wanted to put up another chapter earlier than I usually do, to kind of make up for the long wait of last chapter. This is what happened. A shorter-than-usual chapter. Still hope you liked it, though.**

**Please review!**

**~Sky'sFire**


	7. WindClan and StarClan

**Azura: I have a new PenName!**

**Mistpaw: Yes, we can see that.**

**Azura: Anyway, thanks, Amber342, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, and xScarclawx for the reviews.**

**Mistpaw: Oh, and TheAzuraStar does not own Warriors.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

"Well, what do we have here?" The voice of the WindClan warrior made Mistpaw shiver. He sounded malicious and hostile, a tone that practically screamed, _I hate ThunderClan cats!_

Beside her, Foxleap had gone tense, his eyes narrowed at the WindClan patrol. Vaguely, Mistpaw also heard Brackenfur and Hazeltail approaching, but she was too focused on the enemy cats to give it much thought.

"It seems ThunderClan isn't as sharp as they used to be, if they can't tell the difference between their own scent and WindClan's." A gray she-cat, presumably an apprentice, sneered, glaring at the four ThunderClan cats with contempt shining in her green eyes.

That statement triggered a surge of anger in Foxleap, and he took a threatening step forward. "What did you say?" He growled deep in his throat.

The apprentice flicked her whiskers, in a way that said she clearly thought she was better. "Do you have hearing problems? I said-"

"Enough, Rainpaw." The tom who had spoken first interrupted, effectively silencing 'Rainpaw'. He turned back to the ThunderClan patrol. "So you've come to make sure we haven't crossed your borders, am I right?"

Brackenfur stepped in front of the still-angry Foxleap, and answered the WindClan cat coolly, "Yes. That is what patrols do, if I'm not mistaken." His tone was ever-so-slightly insulting, and Mistpaw felt a surge of satisfaction at the angry face of the WindClan tom.

The gray she-cat, Rainpaw, flattened her ears to her head. "Watch the way you speak to us!" She spat before either of her Clanmates could respond, fury glinting in her eyes.

Mistpaw immediately found she disliked this cat. Rainpaw obviously thought WindClan to be superior to ThunderClan. Feeling suddenly impulsive, Mistpaw dared to retort, "Why should we? WindClan can't order us around!"

Rainpaw's eyes narrowed to tiny slits. A snarl tore it's way up and out of her throat, and next the next thing Mistpaw knew, the WindClan apprentice had hurled herself across the scent-line at the blue-furred she-cat.

Mistpaw hadn't been expecting her words to cause such an extreme reaction, and found herself being bowled over by the other cat's weight. She yowled in pain when sharp teeth suddenly met in her ear, and thrashed wildly.

Then Rainpaw's weight was gone as fast as it had come. Mistpaw staggered to her paws to see Foxleap facing the WindClan she-cat as she crouched, still on ThunderClan territory, looking as if she was about to attack him next.

This was all it took for the WindClan tom to come barreling toward Foxleap snarling, "Leave my apprentice alone!" And then the two warriors were suddenly rolling over and over in the grass, biting and clawing.

The remaining cats of the two patrols stood frozen for a heart-beat, watching Foxleap and the WindClan cat, before suddenly leaping at one another. Mistpaw soon found herself locked in another battle with Rainpaw, who had once again initiated the fight.

The gray she-cat was obviously more experienced than Mistpaw, who was struggling to get a grip on her opponent. Rainpaw was battering her head with her forepaws, drawing blood with each hit. It went on and on like this until Mistpaw started to get dizzy. Instictively, Mistpaw rolled to try and escape the blows, and ended up exposing her belly in the process.

Rainpaw saw the opening, and with a shriek of triumph, dove for the soft flesh of Mistpaw's exposed stomach.

The ThunderClan she-cat yowled in agony as the claws tore down her belly. Acting once again out of instict, Mistpaw thrust out her hind legs, ramming them into the ribs of her WindClan attacker.

Mistpaw heard the sharp intake of breath Rainpaw took as she was kicked away. Mistpaw rose back to her feet shakily, wincing slightly in pain, and prepared herself to fight again.

"Get back to the other side of the border!" Mistpaw heard the call, coming from the third member of the WindClan patrol, whom Mistpaw had not heard speak until now.

Rainpaw threw Mistpaw one last baleful glare before obeying her older Clanmates' order. Just as she crossed the scent-line, she snarled, "Stay out of WindClan's territory in the future!"

The blue-furred she-cat watched with blank eyes as the three cats fled back up the moorland, not looking back once. When they were out of sight, Mistpaw slumped to the ground, sighing. Around her, Brackenfur, Hazeltail, and Foxleap were all sporting wounds themselves.

Hazeltail padded up to her apprentice slowly. "Are you alright?" She asked, eyes looking her over.

Mistpaw gave a shaky nod. "Yeah. Just some scratches." She got to her paws, a little more steady than before, and turned to the rest of the patrol. "Were any of you hurt?" She asked them.

"No, I'm fine," Brackenfur reassured her, and Foxleap just shook his head.

"Well then," Hazeltail meowed after a moment of silence. "Let's get back to camp, before some cat realizes we've ben gone longer than usual."

"And before WindClan sends more cats over here to make sure we're gone," Foxleap muttered. "You heard what that apprentice said. 'Stay out of WindClan's territory in the future'." He snorted. "They think _we're _the ones crossing borders? Mouse-brained fools..." he trailed off.

Brackenfur just shook his head. "Come on, let's just get going." He meowed. After a moment, the patrol assembled again, and the four cats were on their way back to camp.

* * *

"You should really be more careful in the future," Her mother lectured her, and Mistpaw just sat there taking it all in as Jayfeather applied some sort of poultice to her belly wound.

"Yes, Cinderheart," Mistpaw sighed.

"And don't be so impulsive, either!" Cinderheart meowed.

"Yes, Cinderheart," Mistpaw sighed again.

"Are you even listening to me, Mistpaw?" Cinderheart demanded, her tail flicking.

"Yes, Cinder-hey! Okay, okay, I'm listening!" Mistpaw said indignantly as her mother cuffed her over the ears.

"Good," the gray she-cat replied. "Now I have duties to attend to. Don't cause any trouble for Jayfeather, alright?" Her mothere gave her a stern stare, waiting for Mistpaw's response.

"I won't." Mistpaw meowed, forcing down the twinge of annoyance.

With one last stern look, Cinderheart turned and left the medicine cat's den. Mistpaw heaved an exasperated sigh.

Up until that point, Jayfeather had been seemingly ignoring everything except his task of treating her wounds, and only when he heard the yound she-cat's sigh did he 'look' at her.

"She's only worrying about you," he said, his tone clipped.

Mistpaw jerked, startled. Then she frowned. "I know."

Jayfeather didn't say anything else, instead continuing with his job. When he was done, he backed away from Mistpaw, turning away. "That should be it," he said. "You may go, but don't do anything too serious, and make sure you come back if the scratch on your belly re-opens." And then he busied himself in the piles of herbs, obviously dismissing her.

Mistpaw frowned again. Then she shook her head and got up from the nest she lay in.

Padding out into the camp, Mistpaw glanced around. Then she walked over to the fresh-kill pile, realizing she was hungry. Just as she reached the pile of prey, a patrol came padding into camp, loaded with fresh-kill. Mistpaw tensed as she saw Stoneheart at the back. The tom gave her a cold look as he passed her.

Mistpaw felt her fur begin to bristle. Again with the unfriendly glares? Couldn't he just get over it? Why did he have to hold Swiftpaw's death against her? Irritation surged beneath her pelt, and she found herself glaring right back at the older tom.

Stoneheart curled his lip, his eyes narrowing slightly. For a heart-beat Mistpaw thought he may growl something at her, but he didn't say a word, just turned and stalked off.

_Nothing's changed between me and Stoneheart. I'm beggining to think it never will._ Mistpaw thought sadly, watching him vanish into the warrior's den.

* * *

The rest of the day was just cleaning out old bedding from the dens and replacing it with fresh. The normal, boring apprentice tasks, since she could do anything else bacause of her wounds.

When nightfall came, Mistpaw curled up into her nest with a sigh, closing her eyes. She drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

And then she opened her eyes to a strange sight. She was on the moorland, but something told her it was not WindClan's territory. As far as she could see, there was a thick barrier of mist.

Puzzled, she stood up. _Where am I?_ She thought. She dimly recalled curling up in her nest in the apprentice's den. Maybe she was dreaming, then?

_Strange dream,_ she decided. _I've never heard of anything like this before._

She started padding around, trying to see something, anything, through the dense mist, but failing.

"Mistpaw." A voice spoke.

The young apprentice whipped around, turning to face the speaker. She was met with the sight of a she-cat, one with blue-gray fur similar to her own, only Mistpaw's was darker. And this strange cat had blue eyes.

"Who are you?" She asked warily, forcing herself to stay still under the new cat's intense stare.

"My name is Bluestar. I was ThunderClan's leader before Firestar. I have a message for you, Mistpaw."

* * *

**Done with chapter six! Hope you like! And please, review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	8. Prophecy, or Evil Omen?

**Azura: Hey all! This is the Seventh Chapter of WTUPM!**

**Mistpaw: WTUPM?**

**Azura: Yes. It stands for the fic's new title, Warriors: The Unseen Powers: Mist.**

**Mistpaw: I see.**

**Stoneheart: Sounds dumb to me.**

**Mistpaw: Nobody asked for _your_ opinion!**

**Azura: Alright, both of you be quiet and sit down! We have a chapter to start!**

**Stoneheart: Yeah, whatever.**

**Mistpaw: TheAzuraStar doesn't own Warriors.**

* * *

**Chapter**** Seven**

"M-message?" Mistpaw squeaked, startled. _Why in the name of StarClan would this cat have a message for me? I'm nothing special! Am I? _She thought, blinking up at Bluestar with a bewildered expression.

"Yes." Bluestar responded. Then she took a few steps toward Mistpaw until she was nearly nose-to-nose with the young apprentice. Mistpaw almost flinched away, but found herself frozen in place by the intensity of the former leader's stare.

Bluestar then started to speak in a strange tone. _"Beware The Unseen Powers; the Mist, the Fog, and the Smoke. United, they will either be the force that saves the Clans, or the one that destroys them."_

And then, the blue-gray she-cat blinked at Mistpaw once, and then was gone.

Mistpaw was left rooted to the spot, the ominous mist still swirling around her. Her mind was swimming; The Unseen Powers? The Mist? Fog? Smoke? Had StarClan gone mouse-brained? And how could those three things be unseen? It didn't make any sense.

In the back of her mind, Mistpaw realized that there may be a connection to the strange prophecy and the misty moorland of her 'dream'. Bluestar had mentioned a 'Mist', hadn't she?

But before she could really ponder over it, it slipped away, and Mistpaw found herself suddenly falling into darkness.

* * *

_United, they will either be the force that saves the Clans, or the one that destroys them._

Bluestar's words rang in Mistpaw's head the whole way to the training hollow. Was that dream even real? Or was it the result of her exhausted mind? She was begining to think her dream had been nothing more than that; a dream.

_I mean, why would a StarClan cat visit an apprentice? It would make much more sense for Bluestar to have visited Jayfeather, or even Firestar, instead. _She thought idly as she stepped over the root of a tree.

Soon, Mistpaw and Hazeltail reached the training hollow. The two cats came to a stop, and her the gray-white she-cat turned to her apprentice.

"Alright, Mistpaw," she meowed. "After that skirmish with WindClan yesterday, I figured it would be best to give you some more battle training. But we'll have to careful, so we don't end up irritating your belly wound."

Mistpaw nodded, and Hazeltail padded to the other side of the training hollow, meowing, "Alright. Now, head over there, across from me." Mistpaw obeyed. "Good," Hazeltail continued, "Now I'm going to try and attack you, and you will try to evade the attacks. Got it?"

Mistpaw nodded again, and watched as Hazeltail crouched down, her tail lashing back and forth and her eyes narrowed. The warrior's muscles tensed, and in response, so did Mistpaw's. And then she was hurtling across the sandy ground toward her apprentice, paws barely brushing the ground, it seemed.

Just as Hazeltail was about to crash into her, Mistpaw flung herself to the side, weaving out of Hazeltail's path gracefully. Hazeltail quickly performed a U-turn mid-sprint, and rushed at her apprentice again.

Expecting another head-on attack, Mistpaw wasn't prepared for her mentor suddenly leaping into the air. Mistpaw stifled a shocked yowl as Hazeltail landed heavily on her shoulders.

There was a moment as Mistpaw remained standing, legs shaking, before they buckled under the older she-cat's weight. Mistpaw was flattened under Hazeltail.

_What just happened? _Mistpaw thought, befuddled. _How did she turn around so fast, like that?_

Hazeltail got up off of her apprentice. "You were good in dodging that first attack, but you should always expect an attack from anywhere."

Mistpaw just grunted in response. Her belly stung, but she brushed that off.

Hazeltail caught on. "Are you alright? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" She asked.

"No, I'm fine." Mistpaw responded curtly. "Let's try that again."

And so, the rest of the afternoon went on like this, where Hazeltail would leap at her, and Mistpaw would try to avoid being flattened again. By the end of the training session, she was completely tired out.

"Good job, Mistpaw. You did well." Hazeltail meowed. "Though I'll be honest. At first I thought that belly wound of yours would slow you down, but I was wrong. You acted like it didn't exist at all."

Mistpaw just nodded at the she-cat's praise, too tired to use her voice.

"Alright then. Let's go back to camp, and you can have something to eat and then get some rest." Her mentor said briskly.

Mistpaw's eyes widened. "But what about apprentice duties? The elders haven't been fed yet!"

Hazeltail purred. "Some other cat will take care of it. You've earned a rest after all the progess you made today. And besides, we can't have you over-working yourself. You may re-open your wounds." she waved her tail in dismissal, and a thoughtful look came into her eyes. "Maybe Stoneheart can take care of it. After all, he is the newest warrior."

Mistpaw's protests faded when she heard Hazeltail suggest that Stoneheart do her duties instead. She smirked to herself, picturing the anger on Stoneheart's face as he treated the elders for ticks.

_That mouse-brained cat would deserve it,_ Mistpaw thought.

* * *

Later, Mistpaw found herself watching from the shelter of the apprentice's den as Stoneheart, just like Hazeltail had suggested, padded away from the elder's den, a disgusted look on his face and mouse-bile soaked moss hanging from his jaws.

The blue-gray she-cat snickered to herself. _He's probably not too pleased with me right now._ She thought almost evilly.

Just at that moment, Stoneheart's head swiveled in the direction of the apprentice's den, an extremely irritated expression on his face. Mistpaw knew he was glaring at her, even though he couldn't see her.

_That's what you get, Stoneheart._ Mistpaw thought in satisfaction, and then curled up in her nest.

* * *

Stoneheart could hardly believe what he was doing right now. Doing _Mistpaw's_ apprentice duties while she was sleeping comfortably in her den! It was hardly believable!

As he padded across camp, he recalled what had happened after Hazeltail and her apprentice had returned from battle training.

* * *

_Stoneheart sat near the fresh-kill pile, rapidly devouring a plump mouse. He had just returned from hunting, and had found himself to be quite hungry after-wards._

_"Hey, Stoneheart!" The young tom raised his head to see Hazeltail padding across camp toward him. "I need you to do something for me."_

_Stoneheart finished off his mouse. "Yes? What is this 'something' you need me to do?" He asked._

_A gleam of amusement woke in Hazeltail's eyes, and Stoneheart instantly felt wary._

_"Well, you see, me and Mistpaw just got back from battle training," the older warrior began, and Stoneheart had to work to keep from curling his lip in dislike at the mention of Mistpaw's name, "and I think she over-worked herself in the process, because of her wounds from yesterday, you know? Anyhow, I'm now assigning her apprentice duties to you."_

_Stoneheart's jaw dropped in disbelief. What? "But she looked perfectly fine when she came into camp behind you!" He protested, feeling anger rising within him._

_"That's an order, Stoneheart," Hazeltail said firmly, "Unless you want to tell Firestar why you disobeyed an order from a senior warrior, I suggest you get to work."_

_Stoneheart _really _wanted to protest again, but he clearly thought better, and instead responded with, "Fine."_

_"Good." Hazeltail meowed brightly. "You'll need to go to Jayfeather to get some mouse-bile for the elder's ticks. Oh, and you'll also have to change their bedding and bring them food. And don't forget the nursery, either!" And with that, the older warrior turned and padded away, leaving Stoneheart to stare after her._

_"Why me?" Stoneheart mumbled to himself._

* * *

_Why can't elders tend to their own ticks?_ Stoneheart thought, as he washed the remaining traces of mouse-bile from his fur. _Why do ticks have to exist in the first place? Being an apprentice would be so much easier if we didn't have to deal with that foul stuff day in and day out! _He paused, and then thought, _Great! Not only do I feel like an apprentice again, now I'm thinking like one, too!_

Grumbling to himself, the young warrior turned and began the trip back to camp. He stopped, however, when he felt the odd sensation of eyes trained on his back. He turned warily, expecting a cat to be behind him, but all he saw was grass and undergrowth. Shrugging, he dimissed the feeling and went about his way once again.

* * *

From behind the shelter of a shrub, a cat watched the gray tom as he padded through the trees. The cat's pelt was shrouded in shadows, and it's eyes were a very bright amber, so bright it was unnatural.

As the ThunderClan warrior vanished from view, the shadow-cat rose from it's crouching position. The shadowy tail flicked from side-to-side, and there was a gleam if light glinting off of claws as the cat unsheathed said sharp weapons and sank them into the earth.

And, underpaw, where the ground was unmarred, the shadow-cat's claws tore small lines into the earth.

The cat purred in satisfaction. _"Soon," _it hissed. _"Soon we will be able to have our revenge."_

It threw back it's head and let out a yowl of twisted joy.

_"Watch out Firestar! You aren't as safe as you think!"_

* * *

**Well! That's that! I decided to update early! I just had to get this chapter up!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	9. Gatherings, Cedarpaw, Realizations

**Azura: Hi! Chapter eight is finally here!**

**Mistpaw: Azura would like to thank Amber342, tinckles, CinderBlazeFan, Mormeril Dark Lady of Insanity, Chibi Kitteh, and TheCaramelSecrets for all the reviews last chapter!  
**

**Stoneheart: Azura, you forgot to thank everyone for reviewing in the previous chapter.  
**

**Azura: Yes, I know, I know! It slipped my mind.  
**

**Mistpaw: Azura would also like give a belated thank-you to everyone who reviewed chapter six!  
**

**Azura: Alright then. On with the story! Stoneheart, would you do the disclaimer for us?  
**

**Stoneheart: What? Why? Haven't you already got the point across that _you do not own Warriors_? Why does it need to be said again?  
**

**Azura: You do realize you just gave us the disclaimer anyway, right?  
**

**Stoneheart: I hate you guys. -.-  
**

* * *

**Chapter Eight  
**

Mistpaw bounded down toward the lake, her Clanmates flanking her on every side. Tonight was her first Gathering, and she was so excited that she felt like she could just _fly._

The island in the lake was small at a distance, but as she go closer, the young she-cat could easily see that it was much bigger than it was upon first appearance. She could also spot cats milling about, talking to one-another, while waiting for the last participants of the Gathering to arrive.

Mistpaw's gaze wandered to the lake itself as she padded along its shore. The surface was sleek and black, and ripples ran softly through it, an effect of the gentle breeze. The moon and stars were reflected in the otherwise calm surface, making it a truly stunning sight.

_I've never seen the lake look so beautiful before,_ Mistpaw thought in awe. _I could just sit here and watch it forever..._

Mistpaw was jerked out of her thoughts when something rammed into her from behind. Startled, she realized she had been just standing there in the same spot, staring out at the lake with a dreamy look in her eyes.

"Move it, mouse-brain," the annoyed voice of Stoneheart growled in her ear. "Stop standing there like a moonstruck rabbit!"

Mistpaw's fur bristled. "I was not standing there like a _moonstruck rabbit_!" She retorted hotly, "and you could learn to be more polite!" With that, she gave Stoneheart a last irritated glare, and bounded away from him.

She slowed down again when she was a safe distance from the annoying tom. _Who does he think he is? Deputy? Leader? Ha! That furball would never be able to be that important!_

Soon, the Clan reached the tree-bridge, and Mistpaw watched as her Clan began to cross, one by one. The warriors crossed so effortlessly; they barely seemed phased by the dark water below.

When it was her turn, Mistpaw swallowed back her nervousness, and stepped cautiously onto the fallen tree. She paused there, standing on the end, and stared forward at the island. She gulped. How would she do this? What if she fell into the water? What if she drowned?

"Mistpaw, are you going to cross or not?" The impatient voice of the warrior Berrynose sliced into her worries.

She jumped, startled. "Y-yes." She responded, and took her first step, testing the tree, as well as herself. The dead tree seemed sturdy enough. She raised her head in determination. If grown warriors could cross this so easily, so could she!

"Well get moving then. Hurry it up," Berrynose meowed.

_Here I go. Wish me luck, StarClan. Or I may end up joining you tonight,_ Mistpaw thought, and then started padding along the tree. After the first few steps she found it wasn't so bad, and then she continued on more confidently.

_I made it!_ She thought as she reached the other end of the tree. _I didn't drown, I didn't slip, I didn't-_

Mistpaw's feet flew out from under her just as she was about to jump down from the tree. She slid off the side, and landed in the shallow water of the lake-shore with a _splash._

Several _mrrows _of laughter rose up from the cats who were watching her, and the young she-cat's ears burned in embarrassment. With a huff, she stood back up, and padded deeper onto the island, not meeting any cats' eyes.

_I don't believe this! I was doing so well, too! What a way to enter my first gathering! _The ThunderClan apprentice thought in despair.

As the rest of the ThunderClan cats joined her on the island, Mistpaw glanced around for the first time, and nearly choked on air. There were _way _more cats here than she had thought!

Absently shaking out her fur(and spattering nearby cats in the process - who growled and leaped away-), Mistpaw took a seat next to some random cat she didn't bother paying any attention to, and looked up at the large tree in the center, where she could spot four cats perched on its branches. Firestar was on the lowest branch, and there was a large white cat with black paws on the highest. The deputies were positioned at the massive tree's roots.

As she looked on in awe, the cat next to her shifted, and muttered to her, "Hey, aren't you the cat who fell into the lake?"

The fur along Mistpaw's spine bristled, and she turned to glare at the cat(a tom) who was beside her. "Yeah, so what if I am?"

The tom purred in amusement. "No need to get snippy. It was just a question." The cat smelled of ShadowClan, Mistpaw noted. He had very dark brown fur and probably the bluest eyes Mistpaw had ever seen.

"Did you need to ask in the first place? My fur is still damp, isn't it?" Mistpaw retorted.

"Point taken," the tom responded, blinking at her. Then meowed, "I'm Cedarpaw. What's your name?"

Mistpaw's eyes widened, taken aback. "Mistpaw." She finally muttered.

"Nice to meet you, Mistpaw!" Cedarpaw meowed cheerfully.

Too cheerfully. Weren't ShadowClan cats supposed to be dark and secretive? What was up with this cat? And why did he remind Mistpaw of Swiftpaw a bit? Maybe it was his attitude.

"Yeah," Mistpaw responded, a bit unnerved by the ShadowClan tom's bright-eyed stare.

Then the leaders called order to the gathering, and Mistpaw couldn't think about the strange Cedarpaw anymore. The news the leaders shared was rather uneventful, though Mistpaw raised her head proudly when Firestar announced her apprenticeship.

There was obvious tension between Onestar and Firestar, and the whole time Firestar was speaking, Mistpaw kept thinking that Onestar was about to spring at the flame-coloured tom at any moment. But the gathering was a time of peace, and nothing of the sort happened.

Blackstar -who Mistpaw found out was the big white tom she had spotted- noticed the anger between the two Clans and watched the two leaders with a rather mischievous look in his eyes. Mistpaw shivered when those eyes fixed themselves on Firestar.

The only leader who didn't send chills up her spine was Mistystar, the RiverClan leader. She had a calm and collected air about her, and Mistpaw found that she liked and respected this she-cat.

Then, with a jolt, Mistpaw realized that the RiverClan leader looked strikingly like Bluestar, the StarClan cat who had visited her. Seeing this resemblance brought the ominous message from Bluestar back to the front of her mind, and soon it was all she could focus on.

_Mist. What in the name of StarClan could Bluestar have been talking about? And why me? Nothing makes sense! Bluestar came to me and told me about the Mist, the Fog, and the Smoke. What could it mean? Mist...wait. Mist? I was surrounded by mist in that dream. And...and my name is_ Mist_paw. Could...could there be a connection? Was that the reason she came to _me _with this?_

Mistpaw's head spun. What if...what if...

_What if I'm the Mist?_

* * *

**DONE! Yay!**_  
_

**Please review!  
**

**~TheAzuraStar  
**


	10. The Odd ShadowClan Apprentice

**Azura: Welcome, readers!**

**Mistpaw: Welcome!  
**

**Stoneheart: Yeah, hi.  
**

**Cedarpaw: This is my first time being in an A/N!  
**

**Stoneheart: Wha-? What in the name of StarClan are you doing here?  
**

**Cedarpaw: Azura invited me.  
**

**Stoneheart: Get out!  
**

**Mistpaw: Stoneheart! Stop being such an idiotic furball! Be nice!  
**

**Stoneheart: Who're you calling an idiotic furball?  
**

**Mistpaw: YOU, you IDIOTIC FURBALL!  
**

******Stoneheart: *growls* Yeah? Well you're a...a... *pauses to think* ...stupid mouse-brain!**

**Azura/Cedarpaw: o.o  
**

**Mistpaw: *blinks* Really? Took you that long to come up with that? Idiotic furball.  
**

**Stoneheart: GET A NEW INSULT, APPRENTICE!  
**

**Mistpaw: MAKE ME, WARRIOR!  
**

**Azura: Since when is calling each other by your ranks an insult?  
**

**Stoneheart/Mistpaw: Shut it, Azura!  
**

**Azura: *affronted* I do believe I've just been told.  
**

**Cedarpaw: Yep you have!  
**

**Azura: -.- You're not helping.  
**

**Mistpaw/Stoneheart: *bickering in the background*  
**

**Azura: I do not own warriors. Now please read the chapter.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Nine  
**

"Hey, er, Mistpaw? You do realize the gathering's over, right?" Mistpaw jerked out of her thoughts and looked over at Cedarpaw. The brown-furred tom was gazing at her with his very vivid blue eyes.

_I'm the Mist. _"Yeah, I know." She replied distantly.

"Are you okay? You look a bit shaky there..." Cedarpaw was looking at her in concern. A ShadowClan cat! Concern! What was the world coming to?

_How can this be happening? _"Yeah, I'm fine, Cedarpaw. No need to worry." _I'm only a cat mentioned in a prophecy from StarClan._

"If you're sure, then..." the young tom trailed off, and then looked away from her and toward what Mistpaw presumed to be his Clanmates.

_It can't be true! _"Go on and join your Clan, Cedarpaw. I'll be fine." Mistpaw told him firmly. _It all makes sense now. The shadow-cats, the prophecy, the Mist! They're all connected!_

Cedarpaw blinked. "Alright. It was nice meeting you, Mistpaw. Maybe we'll meet again before the next gathering." There was something off about his tone, but Mistpaw couldn't place it._  
_

"Yeah, okay. Bye, Cedarpaw!" The tom waved at her with his tail before vanishing among his Clanmates. Mistpaw turned and went after her own Clanmates, falling in step beside a cat, though she was too distracted to tell who it was.

_I should have realized...that I was never meant to be a normal cat._

* * *

Mistpaw woke up late the next morning, still feeling sleepy from the gathering the night before. With a huge yawn, the young she-cat stretched out her muscles, and then rose sluggishly to her paws.

She left the den, and blinked up at the cloudy sky. The late morning was slightly chilly. Mistpaw knew leaf-bare was on the way.

With a shake of her pelt, Mistpaw made her way over to Hazeltail, where the gray-and-white she-cat was helping put some extra branches in to keep the nursery well-insulated.

When the warrior spotted her apprentice, she meowed, "Mistpaw, I'm busy helping Sorreltail with this. I trust you can go out and hunt by yourself without getting into trouble?"

Mistpaw blinked. Hazeltail was letting her go out by herself?

Hazeltail noticed the look her apprentice was giving her. "You should be fine, as long as WindClan don't try anything funny, and there are no foxes and badgers out there."

_And if ShadowClan don't get any ideas._ Mistpaw added silently. Then she remembered Cedarpaw from last night. What an odd cat he was. Friendly, but odd. She shook her head to clear her mind.

"Okay." Mistpaw nodded. "I'll bring back as much prey as I can!"

Hazeltail purred in approval. "Good. Now off you go." Hazeltail dismissed her.

* * *

_What does being the Mist mean exactly? Does it mean I have special powers? Does it mean I'm the most powerful cat in the Clans? Wait! What about the Fog and the Smoke that Bluestar mentioned? What are they? Are there other cats out there like me? That can see the shadow-cats? I wonder..._

Mistpaw pounced, pinning a thrush to the ground. She killed it quickly with a quick bite to the neck, before scraping dirt over it. She'd come back and retrieve it once she had caught some more prey.

She was near the ShadowClan border, though it wasn't in sight, she could easily detect the mostly unpleasant smell of their scent markers. She wrinkled her nose in distaste.

The young she-cat raised her head and sniffed the air, trying to identify any prey-scents. Not finding any, she padded in the direction of the border, to see if there was anything there. She made a mental note not to cross the border by accident. She definitely did not want a fight with ShadowClan.

Detecting the scent of a mouse nearby, she started to creep forward, eyes narrowed, tail held above the ground, as to not alert the mouse of her presence. When she felt she was within pouncing distance, she leaped. She killed the mouse quickly, and then picked it up by its tail, intending to take it back to where she had buried the thrush. She wanted to keep all of her catches together.

"Hey, nice catch there, Mistpaw!" A voice rang out.

The blue-gray she-cat dropped the mouse and whipped around, and found herself staring into the blue eyes of Cedarpaw. Confusion swept through her; where had he come from?

Then she realized something, and growled, "Why are you in ThunderClan's territory, Cedarpaw? You really shouldn't be here."

Cedarpaw blinked, and responded cheerfully, "Aw, come on! It's not like I'm hurting anything or anyone!" He stared at her with his vivid eyes, and Mistpaw could swear she could see something almost..._familiar_ in their depths.

"It doesn't matter," she meowed, shrugging away the vibe she was getting from this cat, "you have to leave. Or I will have to force you to."

"Mistpaw~! Don't be like that! Aren't we friends?" Cedarpaw complained, though he didn't look upset in the slightest.

"Friends? We only talked one time!" Mistpaw protested. She took a step toward the dark brown tom. "Cedarpaw. Leave. I don't want to fight you, but I won't have a choice if you keep this up."

Cedarpaw looked like he wanted to pout. Mistpaw felt her fur start to bristle, but not for the reason that would be normal. Why did the way this cat acted seem so familiar? There was something about the gleam in his eyes, the tone of his voice. What in StarClan could it be?

Then she recalled. _Swiftpaw. Hadn't he been a cheery and bright cat? Always getting on my nerves, just like Cedarpaw is now...why is he so much like Swiftpaw? And more importantly, why is everything getting so complicated all of a sudden?_

Cedarpaw was staring at Mistpaw right now, and the young apprentice couldn't help but continuously compare him to Swiftpaw. She couldn't help it.

Then Mistpaw snapped herself back to reality. The ShadowClan tom was still on her territory. She sighed, but it sounded more like a growl.

"Cedarpaw. You should go now. Really. It's not a good idea for you to stand here like this!" Her voice steadily rose with each sentence, and the brown tom she was addressing merely blinked at her, before suddenly bounded forward to close the distance between her and him. She backed away instantly, eyes wide.

"What are you doing? Cedarpaw!" Mistpaw growled, and unsheathed her claws.

"I want to see you again, Mistpaw." He meowed, his voice suddenly serious. "There's something very important I must speak with you about, but it can't be done here." He looked her dead in the eye. "Meet me in the tunnels under your territory tomorrow night, after you've finished with your apprentice duties. Make sure no cat follows you." Then he stepped away, and went back to his annoying cheery self. "Anyway, I have to go now, before some cat notices I'm not in camp."

He turned and bounded a few paces away, before turning back and calling brightly over is shoulder, "See you, Mistpaw!" Then he was gone, haring off across the border into his own territory.

Mistpaw watched after him, a stunned look on her face. What just happened?

_I didn't even agree to this 'meeting'! Who does he think he is? Stupid_ _furball._ Mistpaw sighed and shook her head in exasperation.

_I should head back to camp now. I'm should have been back by now anyway. Stupid Cedarpaw, wasting my time like that._ The young she-cat then picked the almost-forgotten mouse back up and head off in the direction of that thrush that she had caught.

* * *

"A mouse and a thrush? Not bad considering it's almost leaf-bare," Hazeltail commented when her apprentice returned to camp. Mistpaw nodded absently, and moved to deposit her catch on the fresh-kill pile. She then picked out a plump mouse and proceeded to carry it to the elders den. When she slipped inside, she found Jayfeather trying to coax Mousefur into eating some sort of herb. As usual, the elder was refusing, denying the fact that there was something wrong.

Mistpaw sighed and set down the mouse. "You should just eat the herb, Mousefur. Stop being so stubborn."

The old she-cat's head whipped around in her direction. She snorted in annoyance, "Well maybe if Jayfeather would stop being so persistent..." she trailed off. Mistpaw rolled her eyes.

"Look at it this way, Mousefur. The sooner you eat those herbs, the sooner you'll be able to eat this mouse that I've brought." She paused a sly gleam entering her eyes. "That is, if Purdy doesn't scarf it down before you get the chance..." she cast a meaningful glance at the sleeping tom, whose snores were quite loud.

Mousefur's eyes narrowed, and she actually lowered her head to lick up the herbs that lay at her paws. The old she-cat's face scrunched up, and Mistpaw winced in sympathy. Those herbs must taste awful.

"Now. Bring that mouse over here, Mistpaw. I need something to wash this foul taste from my mouth." Mistpaw complied with Mousefur's wishes, and brought the prey over to her.

The elder she-cat then started tearing into the mouse, and Mistpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement.

"Now I've got to go get some clean bedding for you. I'll be right back." Mistpaw meowed, and left the den quickly. She had also left because she didn't like the odd look Jayfeather had started giving her.

_Medicine cats,_ Mistpaw thought to herself. _Weird._

As she went to fetch the needed moss, her mind wandered back to the conversation with Cedarpaw. Why did he want to meet with her in secret? He was a strange one, Mistpaw concluded.

_What a mouse-brain. Does he think I'll go just because he didn't me give the chance to say no?_ Mistpaw's claws sliced into the moss, cutting it into strips. _But I'm wondering if I actually should...he did say it was important...great StarClan, what should I do?_

* * *

**Finished at last! Hope you all enjoy this chapter!**_  
_

**Please review!  
**

**~TheAzuraStar  
**


	11. DarkForestClan?

**Azura: Hiya!**

**Cedarpaw: Hi!  
**

**Stoneheart: You're still here, eh?  
**

**Cedarpaw: Of course! I have an important role in this story!  
**

**Stoneheart: Well, why'd you go and tell them that? You gave away a bit of the story!  
**

**Cedarpaw: *indignant* I did not! And they've probably already guessed I'm an important character from last chapter!**

**Stoneheart: And if they didn't?  
**

**Cedarpaw: Well now they know!  
**

**Stoneheart: I don't like you.  
**

**Cedarpaw: Well that's awfully rude...  
**

**Mistpaw: Cedarpaw's right, Stoneheart. That _was _rude.  
**

**Stoneheart: Shut up, apprentice!**

**Mistpaw: Make me, warrior!  
**

**Azura: *sighs* Not this again...  
**

**Cedarpaw: Fight! Fight!  
**

**Azura: -_- Again, Cedarpaw, _you are not helping._  
**

**Cedarpaw: ;)  
**

**Stoneheart: Stupid mouse-brain!  
**

**Mistpaw: Idiotic furball!  
**

**Cedarpaw: Fight! Fight! Fight!  
**

**Azura: I'll fight _you_ if you don't shut up!  
**

**Cedarpaw: Azura, you're mean!  
**

**Azura: *looks at readers* Read this chapter! I'm going to attempt to calm things down here...  
**

* * *

**Chapter Ten  
**

_What could Cedarpaw possibly want? _Mistpaw thought to herself as she was cleaning out the old moss in the nursery. She was vaguely aware of Ashkit and Echokit, who were watching her every move with rapt attention.

_He seems harmless enough. I think I can trust him. _She carried the used moss out of the well-sheltered den, eyes clouded in thought. _But what if I'm wrong? What if he's leading me into some sort of trap?_

Mistpaw shrugged away that thought. _No. I'll give Cedarpaw the benefit of the doubt and trust him this once. _She nodded to herself at the thought. _Besides, I'm curious as to what he has to tell me._

Mistpaw did away with the dirty moss, and turned back toward camp. It was about mid-afternoon, and the young she-cat was almost finished with her apprentice duties for the day. Her plan was to complete all of the daily tasks early, so she would have some free-time before heading off to meet Cedarpaw.

_So it's decided, then. I'll meet Cedarpaw tonight in the tunnels. _Then she paused, realizing something.

_How do I get into the tunnels in the first place?_

* * *

Mistpaw slowly approached Jayfeather. She figured he would be a good choice to ask about the tunnels, but she'd have to be careful not to arouse the medicine cat's suspicions.

_Jayfeather can be quite observant. I'll have to keep myself from sounding too interested._ She thought.

She took a deep breath, and opened her jaws to speak.

"You want to know about the tunnels, don't you?" The gray tabby tom's voice cut across her, and she froze, shocked. How in the name of StarClan did he know? It was uncanny!

"Y-yes," Mistpaw replied, and internally cursed herself for the stutter in her voice. "I heard some of the warriors mention it, and I was curious." She lied easily, swallowing the guilt that immediately started gnawing away at her. It wasn't like she was lying about anything _too _important.

"I see." The medicine cat responded, an undertone of sharpness colouring his voice. The ThunderClan apprentice winced; he didn't know about her meeting with Cedarpaw, did he?

_Of course he doesn't, mouse-brain. How could he?_ A voice in her head retorted.

Reassured, Mistpaw meowed, "I was wondering if you could tell me about them, actually."

"I could, but I have important things to do." He gave her an even sharper look from his blind eyes that made a shiver run down her spine. "Go and bother some other cat."

With that, the small tom turned and padded off, leaving Mistpaw to stare after him, dumbfounded.

_Who put nettles in his prey? He's certainly not in a sociable mood._ She thought with a snort.

* * *

_Why was she so curious about the tunnels?_ Jayfeather thought. _And why did she come to me?_

From what he could tell, Mistpaw had wanted to know where the entrance to the underground tunnels was.

_Why?_ He thought.

Jayfeather narrowed his eyes as he sorted through his mallow stock. _She's been acting odder than normal ever since the Gathering. Does it have anything to with that ShadowClan tom she was talking to?_

With a sigh, he shook his head, clearing his thoughts.

Like he had told Mistpaw just a few minutes ago; he had important things to do. Worrying about what Mistpaw was getting up to was not one of them.

* * *

The young apprentice sighed, glaring up at the rapidly darkening sky. _Darn you, nighttime! Why do you have to get here so fast? I need more time!_ Mistpaw sighed again, and rested her head on her paws.

She was in the apprentice's den, waiting for the right time to leave. Though she still wished time would slow down so she could give this situation a bit more thought.

_What more do you need to think about?_ The voice in her head scoffed._ Just go to this meeting and see what Cedarpaw wants!_

Finally, it was time to head out. Warily, Mistpaw crept out of her den, and raced across the camp on silent paws. Reaching the dirtplace, she slipped inside. She wrinkled her nose, and emerged out into the forest.

_I hate using the dirtplace exit,_ she thought to herself.

_Now all I need to do is find the underground tunnels. That's not going to be easy, though. I don't want to go sticking my head down every hole, but I'll probably have to..._

With that, Mistpaw set on her way to find the entrance to the tunnels.

* * *

_Cedarpaw probably thought I wasn't coming and left,_ Mistpaw thought dejectedly, padding through the trees with a hopeless look on her face. The quest to find the tunnels had not gone well, and now she found herself wandering around without actually expecting to find anything.

_I hope he's not too mad at me, _she thought.

_I might as well turn around and go home. _She started toward the direction of the camp.

"Hey, Mistpaw! There you are! I've been waiting!" A voice called out to her from her right.

The blue-gray she-cat whipped her head around and spotted Cedarpaw standing a few tail-lengths away. "Cedarpaw! Where did you come from?" Mistpaw exclaimed, staring at the ShadowClan apprentice.

"From the underground tunnels, of course!" He responded.

"Then you know how to get down there, then?" Mistpaw inquired.

"Yes!" He nodded rapidly, and then turned away. "Come on, let's go!" And then he all but vanished into the darkness behind him.

Mistpaw uttered a squeak of surprise, bounding forward. She pushed past some long strands of grass and was plunged into cool darkness. A little ways ahead, she could make out the dim silhouette of Cedarpaw.

"This way." His voice had a slightly echoing quality to it. His shape disappeared into the darkness again. Mistpaw followed, feeling a bit scared. Sheer darkness like this was perfect for an ambush. Or even worse, a shadow-cat.

The tunnel was so dark and cold. Mistpaw started to really wonder why Cedarpaw wanted so badly that they had to meet down here.

Soon, Mistpaw found she could see the outline of Cedarpaw's head up ahead. "Almost there." He told her.

Then, at that moment, the scents of a few other cats assaulted her nose. More ShadowClan, some RiverClan, and even WindClan. Mistpaw's fur started to bristle.

"Cedarpaw! There are other cats down here!" She hissed.

"Oh, didn't I tell you that there would be more than just us?" Cedarpaw's voice lost the playful, amused tone, and took on a darker, more malicious one. She did not like that at all.

"No, somehow you _failed_ to mention that." Mistpaw growled.

"Oh, well now you know." His voice went back to 'normal'.

Then suddenly, there was light everywhere. Mistpaw gazed around in wonder. She was in an underground cave of sorts, with low roof, and even a river running along one side.

And gathered near the center of this cave, was a total of about eight cats, all looking young enough to be apprentices. Mistpaw's eyes narrowed.

"Welcome, Mistpaw, to the newly created DarkForestClan. I am their leader. Tonight, I offer you a place among us." Cedarpaw announced, and suddenly, he didn't look like the happy-go-lucky cat that she'd thought he'd been anymore.

He looked truly, and completely evil. Mistpaw gulped.

_I guess I was right all along. He really can't be trusted._

* * *

**Finished! :)**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	12. Drowning

**Azura: Hi thar!**

**Mistpaw: Hi!**

**Azura: Today I feel like skipping the whole lengthy opening A/N. (How many of you actually read those, anyway?)**

**Mistpaw: Let the chapter begin!**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven  
**

_How would you like to join DarkForestClan?_

Cedarpaw's voice rang in Mistpaw's head. She stared wide-eyed at the brown-furred tom like he had suddenly sprouted wings.

"DarkForestClan?" She echoed. "What in the name of StarClan is that?" She narrowed her eyes at Cedarpaw. "And what makes you think I'd be interested in joining? I already have a Clan, thanks. I don't need your little band of cats calling themselves a Clan!"

Cedarpaw took a step toward her, suddenly appearing threatening. "I'm not giving you a choice, Mistpaw. You either join us, or you die."

A chill crept up Mistpaw's spine. He was dead serious.

She still didn't back down. Maybe it was hotheadedness, maybe it was Clan pride, but either way, the ThunderClan apprentice found herself nose-to-nose with Cedarpaw, boring into his vivid blue eyes with her own. She curled her lip, showing her teeth.

"Join or die, huh?" She hissed scornfully. "You might want to rethink that."

Rage flashed in the ShadowClan apprentice's eyes. "Oh, really?" He snarled.

"Really." Mistpaw snapped. "Did you really think I'd say yes? How stupid can you get?"

Cedarpaw leaped back, taking a swipe at Mistpaw's muzzle. "Too bad," he hissed, "you could have been great on our side. Now I have to kill you."

"Try!" Mistpaw spat back, dodging the sharp claws. "I don't need your mouse-brained little Clan to be great!" _I'm the Mist! You can't bring me down that easily! I won't let you!_

"Cedarpaw!" One of the other cats called out anxiously, taking a step toward the two fighting cats. Mistpaw recognized her as Rainpaw, the WindClan she-cat from before. It wasn't too much of a surprise that she'd be here, Mistpaw reflected absently.

"Stay back!" Cedarpaw snapped, tone commanding. _Like a leader,_ Mistpaw thought.

"I can deal with her by myself!" He snarled and lunged forward. He sank his teeth into her shoulder, tearing through the flesh.

Mistpaw howled in pain, and tore herself free. She aimed a few blows in his direction, to which he dodged easily, before retaliating with his own. Mistpaw took each with a grunt, before striking back.

She reared up on her hind legs, about to claw at the ShadowClan cat's eyes. But too late, she remembered the low cave roof, and there was a dull thud as her head struck against the roof.

Mistpaw dropped back down to all fours, a dizzying pain spreading across her skull. _Great StarClan, that wasn't very smart of me._ She thought, staggering a bit.

Paws suddenly slammed down on her back, and Mistpaw's already weak legs buckled. She was pinned to the ground by a smug Cedarpaw.

"Seems you're not as great as you think you are," Cedarpaw hissed in her ear, "Next time you should pay attention to your surroundings." He let out a snort. "Oh right, there won't be a 'next time' for you."

Mistpaw growled. "What makes you so sure you'll be able to get away with this?"

Cedarpaw let out a _mrrow_ of laughter. The sound made Mistpaw's ears hurt.

"Simple. I'll just drop your body in that river over there," he gestured to the underground river flowing on the one side of the cave, "you'll be swept away into the lake, never to be seen again."

Mistpaw's fur bristled. "You think that will actually work?" She hissed. "My Clanmates will follow my scent down here, and they'll detect yours, along with everyone else's!"

"Not if it doesn't rain first." Mistpaw frowned. What? He continued, "If it rains, your scent will be washed away," he meowed.

Mistpaw stiffened. Hadn't the sky been cloudy before? What if it _did_ rain?

_The tunnels flood during the rain,_ she thought suddenly, _if it's going to rain, then Cedarpaw and his 'friends' can't stay here._

A thought struck her then; what if this was the ShadowClan apprentice's _real_ plan? To leave her here for dead while the tunnels flooded?

Suddenly alarmed, Mistpaw tried to heave Cedarpaw off of her, but he wouldn't budge. She started to thrash, writhe, flail, _ anything _to get him off. In the end, however, it no good.

Cedarpaw raised a paw, a manic light in his eyes, and brought it down on the back of her head with stunning force.

Mistpaw's vision got dark and hazy. Vaguely she felt Cedarpaw's weight release her, and she tried to stand. Her legs wouldn't support her though, and she flopped back down.

"See you in StarClan, Mistpaw." Cedarpaw's voice was nearly drowned-out by a clap of deafening thunder overhead, but she still heard his words.

They were the last thing she heard before falling into oblivion.

* * *

Rain started to crash down from the sky. Lighting flashed, illuminating the forest in a bright white glow for about a heart-beat.

Stoneheart was jerked awake by a particularly loud thunderclap. He growled to himself, glaring up at the sky through the intertwining branches of the warrior's den.

Suddenly, he had the urge to use the dirtplace. Getting to his paws, he left the sheltered den, and sprinted across camp toward his destination. He still ended up wet, though. No cat can escape the rain, no matter how fast they ran.

Stoneheart did what he had to then made to leave. But not before he picked up a slight scent of Mistpaw. It was a bit stale, but for the most-part was untouched by the rain.

He followed the scent as far as it would go. _It leads out into the forest,_ he thought. What was Mistpaw up to? Especially in a storm like this, in the middle of the night? Stoneheart narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

He wanted to follow her trail, but he knew there was no hope. The rain would have washed away the scent.

With a sigh, Stoneheart turned and returned to his den.

_What do I care? Mistpaw can do what she wants._

But as he settled down into his nest, he couldn't shake the feeling that something very bad was happening somewhere.

* * *

The first thing Mistpaw became aware of when she came to was that her lungs were burning.

_Air. I need air._

She made the mistake of trying to inhale. Water filled her mouth, and she gagged, resulting in choking even further.

_I'm drowning!_

All she could see was black. All she could feel was icy cold. Her body was going numb.

_But I'm the Mist! This can't happen to me!_

_No..._

* * *

**It's short, I know. But at least it's something!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	13. Across The Lake

**Azura: Chapter 12 is here!**

**Mistpaw: Yay!**

**Azura: I'd like to thank everyone who's reviewed/favourited/alerted this story so far. To be completely honest, I didn't think that this story would be so well received! Thank you everyone, for all your support!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve  
**

_Where am I? Am I dead? Is this StarClan?_

Mistpaw was entirely engulfed by suffocating darkness. It was like she was being suspended in the blackness, unable to move. Fear clawed up her spine, making her shiver involuntarily.

_This can't be right! How can this be StarClan? Where are the stars? All I see is darkness!_

She tried to wail, but she couldn't move her jaws. In fact, she couldn't move at all. Her entire body felt heavy and useless. Her fear soon turned to terror, and she tried with all her might to break free of whatever strange force was holding her down.

_Help! Someone help me!_ She thought desperately when she couldn't get her mouth to form the words.

_I can't die! Not now, not ever!_ Mistpaw futilely tried to force her body to move again, but to no avail.

"Stop thrashing about! I'm trying to help you!" A voice suddenly pierced through the terrifying darkness. Mistpaw felt a surge of hope. Maybe she wasn't dead after all!

There was a strange pressure building in her chest, that was quickly growing into an intense pain. As she lay un-moving, the darkness surrounding her started to swell, getting more and more unbearable, to the point where it was starting to rival the constricting pains in her chest.

Then, suddenly, she was coughing up mouthful after mouthful of water, while some cats' paws were applying pressure to her belly. Dimly she detected the smell of RiverClan, but she was too preoccupied with the water coming from her mouth to give it any thought.

Then it was over, and she just found herself laying on drenched grass, taking in as much oxygen as she could with each gasp.

The sky overhead was dark with clouds. A few drops of rain fell, signaling that the storm was ending.

Mistpaw heard something shift over to her left. She twisted her head around weakly and saw two RiverClan warriors glaring down at her. She tried to scramble to her paws and face them, but her legs were too wobbly to hold her weight. She settled for glaring at them in return.

The larger of the warriors narrowed his eyes and growled, "Calm down. We're not going to hurt you."

Mistpaw wanted to challenge them, but she couldn't summon enough energy to do anything besides utter a sound that was a mix between a distrusting growl and a relieved sigh.

Then she felt the exhaustion from nearly drowning descend upon her, and she closed her eyes and fell into a wonderfully peaceful oblivion.

* * *

When she woke, Mistpaw immediately knew something was wrong. She was not in the familiar apprentice's den in ThunderClan's camp. Instead, she was surrounded by the unmistakable scent of RiverClan.

How had she ended up on the other side of the lake?

With a jolt, she recalled the events from the night before. Cedarpaw, the tunnels, DarkForestClan, turning down an offer to join said Clan, fighting an angry Cedarpaw, being knocked unconscious and left for dead in the flooding tunnels.

Then she remembered trying to swim to safety, falling into unconsciousness again, that horrible paralyzing darkness, and finally being brought back from the brink of death by two RiverClan warriors.

That explained why she was here, in what she assumed to be RiverClan's medicine den.

_But what about ThunderClan?_ Mistpaw thought with a jolt. _They have no idea where I am! There's no scent trail for them to follow, thanks to last night's storm._

"So you're finally awake." The voice made Mistpaw whip her head around. At the entrance to the den, she spotted Willowshine, the RiverClan apprentice medicine cat.

Mistpaw stared at her. Then she replied, "Yes." She couldn't think of anything else to say.

Willowshine's whiskers twitched. "It's a good thing Pebblefoot and Minnowtail were there to find you, or else you'd be with StarClan by now." The she-cat informed her.

Mistpaw looked at her paws. "Can I go back to my own Clan now?" She asked. She didn't want to be here any longer than necessary.

"That's for Mistystar to decide, not me." Willowshine told her.

The young apprentice bristled. "What? This isn't my Clan! You can't hold me here!" She growled indignantly. What right did these cats have to tell her what she could and couldn't do?

Willowshine shrugged. "You'll have to take that up with Mistystar." Was all she said.

Mistpaw jumped to her paws. "Then take me to her!" She demanded.

The RiverClan cat stared at her for a moment. Then she turned and beckoned with her tail. "Very well," she meowed. "This way."

Mistpaw followed her out of the den. Outside, the sky was bright, and cats were busily padding about. Though when Mistpaw's scent hit their noses, they all turned to give her glares of varying intensities.

She tried her best to ignore the RiverClan cats. Though when she spotted a slightly familiar pelt among the throng of cats, her fur started to fluff up. One of the DarkForestClan cats from the tunnels was watching her with a mixture of disbelief and anger.

Then Mistpaw saw her. The RiverClan leader. Mistystar.

The ThunderClan she-cat raised her chin. She would not act scared. Even if she was.

"I see you are awake and well." The RiverClan leader observed. Mistpaw had to keep from shifting her paws nervously.

"Mistpaw wishes to ask you something." Willowshine informed her leader, and then stepped back, gesturing for Mistpaw to speak.

Mistpaw forced herself to meet Mistystar's eyes. "I want to return to my own Clan." She stated clearly. "My Clanmates are probably looking for me, and who knows where they may search."

Mistystar gazed at her levelly for a long while, and for a moment Mistpaw was certain that the RiverClan leader was going to decline. Then she opened her jaws.

"Very well," -Mistpaw stifled a sigh of relief-. "but you will have an escort."

A cat spoke up then. "Can we give her any fresh-kill before she leaves? She's probably hungry." It was a queen who had said it. She was looking at Mistpaw with concern and sympathy in her eyes.

"No way!" The DarkForestClan apprentice hissed. "We shouldn't waste our fresh-kill on _her_."' He sent her a scathing glare.

Several cats muttered in agreement. Mistpaw ducked her head. "I don't need anything to eat," she announced. _Not like I'd want to eat fish anyway. Yuck!_

Mistystar silenced her cats with a wave of her tail. "Pebblefoot, Minnowtail," she called, "you brought this cat to our camp, now you can escort her out."

The two warriors emerged. "Come on," Minnowtail meowed. "Let's go."

The three cats headed out of the camp, and began the trek across RiverClan territory. Mistpaw found herself enjoying the silence of the two warriors.

When they reached the end of RiverClan territory, the two cats stopped. "This is where we leave you," Pebblefoot meowed. "I trust you know the way back on your own?"

Mistpaw nodded and turned away from the two cats. "Thank you for escorting me this far." She meowed formally.

Pebblefoot nodded, and then narrowed his eyes. "Stay out of RiverClan's territory in the future." Then both cats turned and padded away.

* * *

Mistpaw kept close to the lake shore. She didn't want to stray too far into ShadowClan's territory. And she certainly didn't want to run into Cedarpaw.

_I can only imagine what his face will look like when he realizes I'm still alive._ She thought with a snicker.

Soon she was crossing the border into her own territory. She relished in the familiar sounds and smells, closing her eyes for just a heart-beat. Then a wave of sudden alarm crashed over her.

_Great StarClan! What am I supposed to tell the Clan? That I was washed over to RiverClan's territory during last night's storm?_ She thought. _Well, that is what happened...but what will I say when they ask why I left the camp in the first place?_

Mistpaw tore at the grass under-paw, eyes narrowed.

_Well, no use wailing over it,_ she thought wryly, _I'd better keep going. The longer I take in getting back, the worse the situation will get._

The blue-gray furred she-cat padded forward, toward the camp.

* * *

**Yeah, not the best way to end the chapter, I know. But, still, I hoped you liked it!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	14. Stoneheart's Feelings

**Azura: Welcome to chapter 13!**

**Mistpaw: Hi!**

**Cedarpaw: Hey there!**

**Stoneheart: What? You again? Get out of here!**

**Mistpaw: STONEHEART! Don't be so mean!**

**Azura: *watches with bored look as Mistpaw and Stoneheart start fighting* I'm not going to bother to stop them. It never works anyway.**

**Azura: By the way, I've put up a poll on my profile. Go check it out. (And vote while you're at it!)**

* * *

**Chapter**** Thirteen**

Mistpaw padded carefully through the trees, wary even though she was on her own territory. She was dreading the explanation she knew she'd have to give once she got back to camp.

She winced a few times as she walked; her muscles were still sore from the previous night's events.

The young she-cat entered camp, immediately emerging into a clearing busy with frantic cats. Though when she halted on the edge of camp, all movement suddenly ceased.

Every cat turned to stare at her. Then she was being engulfed by a flood of pelts, and voices demanding answers.

"You're back! Where did you go?"

"Are you alright? What happened?"

"Why weren't you in your nest this morning?"

"Why do you smell like RiverClan?"

Mistpaw recognized the last voice as Stoneheart's.

He was glaring at her. His look was accusing, as if she had betrayed her Clan to RiverClan. Rage flared deep within Mistpaw, and she glared back at the warrior, about to shoot some sharp retort back at him. But another wave of questions cut her off.

"Yes, why _do _you smell like RiverClan?"

"Were you spying on them?"

"Did you get attacked by them?"

"Perhaps you were meeting with one of their cats. After all, it would explain why you reek of RiverClan."

The ThunderClan cats pricked their ears at that, and started to give her suspicious looks.

Mistpaw could barely hold back from leaping at the annoying tom and clawing his ears to shreds. She forced herself to meet Stoneheart's gaze, and meowed as calmly as she could, "I did not betray my Clan, if that's what you're implying, Stoneheart."

The gray tom curled his lip. "Why should we believe that?"

Mistpaw unsheathed her claws. "Why shouldn't you?" She countered angrily.

"Well, you _did_ disappear in the middle of last night's storm without a trace. What are we supposed to think?" Stoneheart retorted, narrowing his eyes.

To Mistpaw's complete horror, some of her Clanmates started muttering in agreement. _He's turning them against me without even trying!_ She thought.

Furious, she lashed her tail. "You have no right to accuse me of disloyalty!" She snarled, impulsively taking a step toward him. "I've done nothing wrong! Give me a chance to explain before throwing around pointless accusations!"

Something flared in Stoneheart's eyes, and he also took a step forward. "I have more to accuse you of besides this, believe me."

"Really now?" Mistpaw shot back, another step bringing her nose-to-nose with the tom, the cats gathered around them been forgotten. "And what would that be?"

His eyes took on a crazed light. For a moment, he looked truly intimidating, and Mistpaw had to suppress a shiver.

"You're responsible for Swiftpaw's death," he hissed in her face, "It's your fault he's dead." He glared into her eyes. "I hate you. I hate _every single hair on your pelt._"

The camp went dead silent.

Shocked, Mistpaw took a shaky step back, staring at Stoneheart with wide eyes. Any response she might have had was stuck in her throat. She hadn't been expecting such fury from him.

She had always known Stoneheart disliked her, had always known that he was angry at her for interfering with the battle four moons ago. But...

Never had she thought that his feelings of dislike for her would be this strong.

"I..." Mistpaw meowed in a small voice. She didn't know what to say. What _could _she say? He obviously didn't want an apology. What good would that do anyway?

"That's enough," a stern voice commanded. "Stoneheart, go to your nest and stay there until you've calmed down." The voice belonged to Firestar. The ThunderClan leader was padding toward the group of cats, a grim look on his face. "Mistpaw, you follow me."

Stoneheart turned and padded away without so much as a glance at any of his Clanmates. They parted away from him as he went. Mistpaw found herself staring after him as she followed Firestar toward his den.

"Now," the ThunderClan leader meowed when it was just the two of them. "You can tell me where you were last night. And why you smell of RiverClan."

Mistpaw gulped and hesitated, wondering how much she should tell him. Something told her to keep quiet about Cedarpaw and DarkForestClan. She wanted to know more before she went and told any cat about it.

"Well," she began, "last night I had trouble falling asleep. So I decided to take bit of a walk. I was planning on coming right back, really. But then I picked up the scent of ShadowClan. The trail lead me to the underground tunnels." She noticed Firestar stiffen at the mention of the tunnels.

"Truthfully, I got lost down there, trying to follow the scent." She lied, "And then it started raining." She then told him about being swept out into the lake, and being found by two RiverClan warriors who had saved her life. When she was finished, Firestar was giving her an unreadable look.

"I see." He meowed. Mistpaw shifted her paws nervously. What was he thinking? Did he believe her hastily made up story?

"Well, Mistpaw, you were lucky that those two warriors found you," Firestar meowed, and Mistpaw stifled a relieved sigh. He had believed her! "But," he continued, "you should not have wandered out of camp in the first place."

"I understand, Firestar. I'm sorry," she apologized.

"I'll have to punish you," he meowed. "I'll have you confined to camp for the next few days." He gave her a serious look when her tail drooped.

"Okay." She muttered. Then she looked up. "What about that ShadowClan cat I mentioned, though?"

Firestar blinked. "It's too late to do anything about that now. The scent trail would be long gone by now."

Mistpaw nodded absently.

"You may go." Firestar dismissed her. As she dipped her head and turned away, he called to her, "Send Brambleclaw in here on your way out, too. I want to have a word with him."

Mistpaw nodded and left, exiting the den and jumping down the rocks. She called out to Brambleclaw that Firestar wanted him, and then padded toward the apprentice's den, which she occupied by herself.

As she curled up in her nest, she wondered just what she would be doing for the next few days.

* * *

Mistpaw was hiding something. But what was it? Firestar had no idea. Her excuse had been just that - an excuse. He pondered over what she had told him.

Had there really been a ShadowClan cat? Was that really how Mistpaw had ended up in RiverClan? And had it really been just a walk that had coaxed her out of her den?

Firestar wished he knew.

"Mistpaw..." he muttered under his breath, "What exactly are you hiding?"

* * *

**Done! So, yeah. Please take a look at that poll I mentioned earlier! It will make me very happy!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	15. Confinement, Shadowcat, and Stoneheart

**Azura: I apologize for the late update. Things have been getting hectic, and now school's starting again. Which also means updates will be slow. Now, enough about that. Let's get on ****with the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Mistpaw slumped over next to the mouse she had been picking at for the last several minutes. It was only the first day of her confinement to camp, but she already felt like she'd been doing nothing for days.

The young she-cat gazed solemnly across the camp at a hunting patrol about to head out. How she wished she could go with them!

_I wish I had never set paw outside camp in the first place. The visit to the tunnels was just a waste of time anyway,_ she thought moodily. _Why did Cedarpaw have to insist on 'punishing' me for not wanting to join his little band of traitors?_

Mistpaw shook her head harshly, digging her claws into the half-eaten mouse. That was the past. No need to dwell too much on it.

She sighed, and gazed down at the mouse. It was mangled beyond recognition now. With a snort, she took the remains and buried them in the earth. She wasn't hungry anymore.

"Don't feel like eating?" The voice of Foxleap made Mistpaw jerk in surprise. She whirled around to face him.

"No," she replied shortly, not looking at the ginger tom. She didn't want to talk to him, or any other cat. The past few days were weighing too heavily in her mind.

Foxleap gave her a concerned look. "Are you alright?" He asked her.

"I'm fine." Mistpaw snapped irritably, "I don't want to talk right now." She glared stonily at a fallen leaf on the ground, twitching her tail.

Foxleap understood. "Okay then," he meowed, but he sounded a bit offended. He turned and padded away.

Mistpaw sighed again, feeling guilty. She shouldn't be taking her anger out on her Clanmates. It wasn't their fault she was confined to camp. It was her own.

Hissing crossly, she lashed her tail. Why had she went to meet Cedarpaw again? _It's all his fault,_ she thought darkly.

Suddenly, she felt eyes on her. Mistpaw glanced up, and met the frighteningly bright gaze of a dark shadowy shape. Her fur started to fluff up, and she stared at the shadow-cat, who stared right back.

But something was different, she noted as she looked at the cat more closely. While there was usually thick darkness shielding the cat's appearance, this time, she could plainly make out the dark tabby pelt beneath.

The shadow-cat wasn't so shadowy anymore.

Mistpaw trembled in slight fear. Her mind started making connections from this cat to another. One who's name she had only heard in stories from when she had been a kit.

His name was Tigerstar. One of the most evil and treacherous cats to have ever walked the trails of the old forest.

The young ThunderClan apprentice blinked. This could not be good. This was something very bad.

_Relax, Mistpaw. No other cat can see him, remember? And plus, he's dead. What harm can a dead cat do?_ Mistpaw told herself.

But even as she thought this, she knew in her gut she was wrong. Nothing good could come out of this.

She directed her gaze back to Tigerstar, only to realize that he was no longer there. All that remained was some leaves that had been upturned presumably by the dark tom.

_Dead cats that can affect the living world? What in the name of StarClan is going on?_

* * *

Stoneheart stared at her, noting how her dark blue-gray fur started to bristle at nothing. What was wrong with that cat? Now she was trembling slightly. His whiskers twitched. Something wasn't right with her.

The dark gray tom then watched as Mistpaw started giving a patch of fallen leaves a confused look.

_She's mouse-brained. That's all there is to it._ Stoneheart told himself.

With a snort, he turned and headed out of camp. He needed to hunt. Clear his head. Stop thinking about that mouse-brained apprentice before he was tempted to claw her ears off.

As he wandered through the trees of ThunderClan's territory, he thought back to the day before. His temper had gotten the better of him. But he hadn't said anything he hadn't thought was true.

It really had been her fault. Why couldn't she have just stayed in the nursery like she was supposed to? Why did she have to interfere? He hadn't needed her help!

And because of her stupid decision, Swiftpaw had sacrificed _himself_ to save _her_. With no thought on how his brother would feel about his death. Abruptly, Stoneheart felt angry at both cats. His brother for sacrificing his own life, and Mistpaw for being the sole reason. Stoneheart hissed out loud in anger, tearing at the ground with his claws.

_We were brothers! Nothing was supposed to come between us! Why...why would you give everything up for_ her_?_

Stoneheart shook his head and broke into a sprint. He couldn't get his mind out of the past, the memories flooding his thoughts.

The young tom propelled himself forward, as if trying to outrun the haunting memories of the past. He let the refreshing cool air whipping at his face calm him down. Eventually he slowed, until he was at a standstill.

Only then did he remember to check his surroundings, and where his run had taken him. He was at the ShadowClan border. He gazed out into the foreign territory, taking note of the pine trees that made up most of the rival Clan's forest.

He was secretly relieved he hadn't crossed the border.

As he made to leave, he spotted something brown slinking through the long grass on ThunderClan's side of the border. Wary, Stoneheart followed it. He inhaled, trying to catch a scent, and the reek of ShadowClan filled his nose.

Growling softly, Stoneheart stalked the intruder, following the cat as it made its way deeper into his territory.

When the cat paused, Stoneheart made his move and sprang, tackling the other cat, a tom, and pinning him to the earth with his forepaw pressed firmly to his opponent's throat. "What are you doing here, flea-pelt?" He spat.

The ShadowClan cat snarled, and battered at Stoneheart's belly with his hindpaws, not intending to respond.

The ThunderClan warrior bared his teeth, and raked his claws along the brown tom's shoulder, causing said tom to aim a unexpected, surprisingly strong and fierce kick straight into Stoneheart's belly. He skidded a short distance away, the breath leaving his lungs momentarily. The intruder used this to quickly scramble to his paws and take off toward his own territory.

Pure, irrational anger pulsed through Stoneheart. He wasn't about to let that trespasser get away. He shook himself once, and broke into a flat-out pelt after the ShadowClan cat.

Rage sparked through him with each step, all of his previous frustration and fury overflowing. He clawed at the retreating cat's tail, not even realizing it when he sprinted across the ShadowClan border without even slowing his pace.

Then suddenly the cat he was chasing stopped short and whipped around so fast the movement was almost blurred. Claws glinted in the dull sunlight, and then swiped themselves across Stoneheart's face as the ThunderClan warrior tried to slow his sprint.

The gray tabby warrior felt blood well along a deep scratch on his muzzle. Dazed, he wondered how his opponent had turned around so fast. Next thing he knew, he was being pinned to the ground on his belly.

"Not so tough now, are you?" A voice hissed in his ear. "Mange-pelt. You crossed the border. You're _mine_ now."

* * *

**Done at last! Hope you like it!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	16. Strange

**Azura: Hey there, people! Here's Chapter 15! Enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

Stoneheart growled at the cat pinning him down. "Get off of me, fox-dung!" He snapped angrily, trying to heave himself upward and launch the ShadowClan tom away.

The cat didn't budge. "You trespassed," he spat, digging his claws into Stoneheart's pelt. The young ThunderClan warrior flinched, and growled low in his throat.

"You crossed the border first, stupid!" Stoneheart snarled. "What in the name of StarClan were you doing anyway?" He attempted to throw the cat off again, but failed.

The ShadowClan cat snorted. "That's none of your business, ThunderClan cat."

Stoneheart saw red. "Of course it's my business, mouse-brain! You were on _my _territory!" With a sudden burst of strength, he launched his attacker off of him, and then rapidly turned on him in the same instant. He lunged, claws slashing, and raked them across the cat's face.

The ShadowClan cat reared up in shock. Stoneheart didn't waste a moment. He lunged again, diving for his opponent's exposed belly, and knocked the cat over onto his back.

Then he began viciously raking him with his claws, a furious look etched onto his face. Blood soon soaked Stoneheart's paws, but the young warrior didn't relent in his attack.

It was only when a cat launched itself at Stoneheart from behind did he stop. Claws fastened themselves into his shoulders, and hauled him off of the ShadowClan cat beneath him. Then those same claws raked his shoulders, digging in deep. Teeth pricked at the back of his neck, and a voice snarled in his ear.

"What do we have here?" The voice held contempt. "A ThunderClan warrior launching a one-cat attack? Is ThunderClan lacking in cats so much that they send just one warrior?"

Stoneheart spat in response. "I chased this cat off of my territory first," he curled his lip, "If it's anycat's fault, it's his." He stayed still. He was outnumbered now. A patrol had come to the first ShadowClan cat's resue.

"But you still crossed the border," the ShadowClan cat hissed. "You're coming back to camp with us. Let's see what Blackstar thinks of this."

* * *

Mistpaw kneaded the ground of the virtually empty apprentices' den. She was so bored! She'd already done the all the apprentice duties earlier that day, so that left her to sit around camp all day.

_At least being an apprentice isn't always like this,_ she thought, but it gave her little comfort.

Mistpaw rolled over onto her back, and splayed herself out. _I never realized that doing nothing all day could be so boring. It's really depressing._

The young apprentice soon found herself thinking about Stoneheart. What was he doing right now? Was he thinking angry thoughts about her? Did he regret his outburst yesterday?

_Why in the name of StarClan do I care?! He hates me! I shouldn't be concerned by what he's doing and what he's thinking!_ Mistpaw shut her eyes. She should _not _be thinking about Stoneheart. Not at all.

_He doesn't deserve to though of anyway! Mouse-brained tom._ She opened her eyes again, finding comfort in those sentences. She rolled back over onto her belly.

Mistpaw stared at the apprentices' den's interior. There was only her scent, and a very faint trace of Stoneheart's, but it was quite stale. It would vanish altogether soon, she realized.

_...again, why do I care?_

She shook her head furiously, trying to banish the annoying thoughts.

After lounging about for a few more moments, the young she-cat heaved herself to her paws. Then she left the empty apprentices' den, sliding out through the exit, and then stood nearby, feeling lost and bored.

To her annoyance, she couldn't help but notice that Stoneheart was nowhere in sight. Probably went out on a patrol.

Mistpaw sat down with a sigh. Why did she decide to meet Cedarpaw in those tunnels again? Oh, _right_. Becaue he'd said it would be important. Lying tom.

Mistpaw did not think of this 'DarkForestClan' to be important nor a problem. It would die off eventually, or the cats who were there would get caught. It was only a matter of time.

It hadn't taken Mistpaw long to come to this conclusion. She was much too annoyed with Cedarpaw and his band of cats to take them seriously. The thought of Cedarpaw being punished for what he did made her claws twitch with satisfaction.

She raised a paw and ran her tongue over it lazily. Over by the fresh-kill pile, she heard a few cats having an arguement about something. Mistpaw pricked her ears to listen.

"I'm telling you, there was some strange scents over by the underground tunnels!" That was Molewhisker. The young brown-and-cream tom's fur was fluffed out with frustration.

"And I'm telling you that there wasn't!" Cherrywing, Molewhisker's sister retorted.

Mistpaw felt chilled. Strange scents? Cedarpaw and his cats, maybe? _No, _Mistpaw thought, _If it had been Cedarpaw and DarkForestClan, then Molewhisker would have reported an invasion from the other Clans. Not just 'strange scents'._

But Mistpaw was far from comforted. If it wasn't Cedarpaw, then it had to be rogues, right? Or...

"Shadow-cats," Mistpaw gasped quietly. "But it can't be...they're not real. Or are they? Oh, StarClan, I don't know!" She stared blindly at the ground, unseeing. Images flashed through her mind as she recalled every encounter she had ever had with a shadow-cat. She tried to find something, anything that would be evidence that they didn't just exist inside her head.

_Tigerstar is dead...though I'm certain it was him that I saw...he looks just like Brambleclaw. _Mistpaw shook her head again, confused beyond understanding.

"No!" Molewhisker's loud voice jerked her back to the real world. "There was cat scent there, I know there was! I smelled it myself! So did Icecloud!" He gestured rapidly toward the white she-cat. "Right, Icecloud?"

The she-cat nodded. "Molewhisker's right. There was definitely other cat scent there."

Cherrywing lashed her tail. "But when I went to check it out, there was nothing there!" She meowed. "You must have been imagining things."

Vanishing scents? Things were getting more and more mysterious...

"We weren't! It _was_ there!" Molewhisker was getting irritated. His tail was twitching.

Cherrywing opened her jaws to reply, but Brambleclaw's stern voice cut across her. "Enough, you two! We've got better things to do than have a debate over whether or not there was a scent."

The warriors dipped their heads to the deputy, though Molewhisker still looked annoyed by how things had turned out.

"There was a scent," he muttered, "I know there was." A glare from the deputy silenced him, and he slunk off.

Mistpaw was lost in thought again. _Shadow-cats, vanishing scents, DarkForestClan, Cedarpaw...what is going on?_

* * *

"So. What do you have to say for yourself?" The challenging tone of Blackstar's voice chilled Stoneheart. The young tom had just arrived in the ShadowClan camp.

He looked at his paws stubbornly. He didn't want to answer.

"Blackstar just asked you a question, crow-food," the same warrior that had brought him here hissed, "I suggest you answer."

Stoneheart unsheathed his claws. "...I chased a ShadowClan cat across the border." He growled finally. "He was trespassing on ThunderClan territory, so I attacked him."

Growls of disbelief echoed his words. "No ShadowClan cat would cross your border! _We_ actually obey the warrior code over here." The cat who spoke spoke with a scorning tone. Several voices rose in agreement.

Stoneheart whipped around to face the cat. "Are you saying ThunderClan doesn't respect the warior code?" He snarled.

"Well, Firestar _has _allowed his Clan to become full of rogues and kittypets," another cat hissed, "It's not surprising, though. After all, he used to be a kittypet.""

Stoneheart growled low in his throat. These cats were trying to provoke him into attacking. He would not give them that satisfaction.

Blackstar raised his tail for silence. "Which cat trespassed?" The ShadowClan leader's voice was low and dangerous.

Stoneheart refused to let himself be intimidated by the large white tom. He pointed to the brown tom with vivid blue eyes. "Him. He was slinking through the grass on my side of the border."

Blackstar turned to the tom. "Cedarpaw? Is this true?"

Cedarpaw raised his chin, looked his leader right in the eye, and meowed, "No. I swear by StarClan that I did not."

"Liar!" Stoneheart shrieked in fury. "How dare you lie to your leader? How dare you lie to _StarClan?_"

"Silence!" Blackstar hissed. Stoneheart growled low in his throat. "You dare accuse my cat of lying to StarClan?" He lashed his tail.

"ThunderClan has gotten much to conceited in these past moons, and now its warriors are accusing mine of treacherous behaviour?" The ShadowClan leader curled his lip. "Rowanclaw." He adressed his deputy as he glared at Stoneheart. "Take this cat back to his camp. And have a word with Firestar while you're there. Tell him that if ThunderClan puts one more paw out of place, we'll make them wish they were never kitted."

The deputy nodded to his leader, then padded up to Stoneheart. He shouldered the gray tom roughly. "Move." He growled. "You're going home."

Stoneheart forced his paws to move. He ignored the hostile glares that followed him, and fixed his own furious look on one cat in particular. Cedarpaw.

"This isn't over," the ThunderClan cat snarled quietly, "You will pay for this."

Cedarpaw turned away haughtily. "Just get out of my camp, ThunderClan cat." He meowed condenscendingly.

Rowanclaw shoved him again. "I said move!" He hissed.

"I'm going!" Stoneheart snapped back. He padded across the camp ground, holding his head high. He refused to be ashamed or intimidated.

Once he and Rowanclaw were outside the camp, the ShadowClan deputy gave him a scathing look. "You've got some nerve, speaking to Blackstar like that."

Stoneheart snorted. "This is an escort, not a chatting escapade." He growled. "So escort me. I'm waiting."

Rowanclaw hissed softly, but took the lead.

The two cats left the ShadowClan camp behind. Stoneheart looked back once, though he couldn't see any cats.

_You'll pay for this, Cedarpaw. You will regret telling that lie._

* * *

**Done! :P Sorry for it being so late!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	17. The Unseen Power 2 and Terror

**Azura: Enjoy the chapter, readers!**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

_~*In StarClan's hunting grounds...*~_

Silence reigned over the cats gathered in a small cluster near the base of a tree. No one spoke, they all just looked at one another with worried glances.

The air was thick with tension. Every cat present could feel it, but no one seemed willing to break it. It was as though a storm was about to break, with no one willing to be the one that causes it.

Finally, after several more minutes like this, a cat finally broke the heavy silence. "What happens now? With this new information...do we even have a chance anymore?"

"I don't know," another cat sighed, stress practically dripping from these simple three words.

"What will we do?" The wail rose from a smaller cat, most likely a kit or very young apprentice. And that's all it took for everything to snap. The storm broke.

Voices rose, cats screeched in anger and confusion and despair, and an air of hostility sprung up between two different groups of cats.

"This is your fault!" A cat snarled. It's pelt was almost transparent, as the ground could be seen through the fur.

"How is this our fault?! We did nothing to cause this!" A cat with starry fur spat back, unsheathing his claws.

"You traditions! Your way of life! You warrior cats insist on keeping the past alive! When you do such things, darkness is given life, and is left to grow more and more powerful!" The see-through cat hissed.

"How was StarClan supposed to know that the Dark Forest would rise?" The starry-cat screeched, "We have no need to go there!"

"Stop this right now!" A loud voice rang out, and every cat fell silent and turned to stare.

The cat went on, "We have better things to do than argue about who is to blame for our situation," she meowed, "We have just received some valuable news about the Second Prophecy."

"Valuable? How is this valuable? We just learned that the fate of everything falls into the paws of a half-trained apprentice, a new-born kit, and a cat who has yet to be born!" The see-through cat challenged.

"I am aware of this." The she-cat spoke. "But we must not let that deter us."

"Spottedleaf's right," the first starry cat agreed. "We must make plans as to what our next move will be. All this arguing is getting us nowhere."

Slowly, the cats started to mutter their consent, though there was still an air of slight hostility among the cats.

"Now," Spottedleaf meowed, "We do have something to be grateful for. Two days ago, a ShadowClan queen gave birth to the next Unseen Power. The Fog is the next cat in the Second Prophecy, and the Mist must be made aware of this..."

* * *

_~*Back in ThunderClan...*~_

Mistpaw woke to the sound of hostile growling. She hadn't even realized that she had been sleeping until she found that she was no longer out in the forest, stalking a fat mouse. She was a bit annoyed that she had been torn from such a great dream.

Getting to her paws and shaking out her fur, which was slightly flattened from laying on her side for a few hours, she left the shelter of the den, poking her head out to investigate the growling coming from the heart of the camp.

What Mistpaw saw shocked her greatly.

It was Stoneheart, looking rather angry. And at his side, stood the ShadowClan deputy, Rowanclaw, who looked just as angry as the ThunderClan warrior that stood beside him, if not more so.

The young apprentice emerged from the den fully, and joined her Clanmates to find out what was going on.

"Well?" She heard Berrynose challenge Rowanclaw. "What are you doing here? Did you get caught on our territory by Stoneheart?"

The deputy of ShadowClan snorted. "Of course not. I was escorting the mouse-brain home from the ShadowClan camp." Gasps of shock and disbelief met the ginger tom's words.

"What? Why would Stoneheart be in your territory, let alone your camp?" Dustpelt, Stoneheart's father, growled. The rest of the Clan echoed his words with irritated growls and hisses.

"That's what I'd like to know," Rowanclaw retorted, "We found him just inside our border, attacking one of our cats. He claims to have chased the cat off of ThunderClan territory."

"I did!" Stoneheart spat, turning on the deputy. "It was your cat who crossed first! I was just doing my duty to my Clan." He turned his head away in a way that said he thought he was right and everyone else was wrong.

His attitude made Mistpaw's blood boil. He didn't have to act so high and mighty about it! With an angry growl, she stalked forward on a whim, until she stood in front of the gray tabby tom.

"And how do we know you're telling the truth? Why should we believe you?" She asked him angrily, and even a bit bitterly, knowingly using the words he had said to her after she'd returned from RiverClan.

Stoneheart immediately caught on to what she was doing and curled his lip at her. "Because _I'm_ actually loyal to my Clan." He retorted.

Fury surged through Mistpaw, hot and demanding. "What was that, you stupid mouse-brain?" She hissed. "Are you implying that I'm not loyal?"

"No, of _course_ not. I'm just saying that I'm a loyal warrior, so _I _don't betray my Clanmates." Stoneheart sneered.

He was mocking her. He was _mocking _her!

Mistpaw dug her claws into the earth, powerful surges of white-hot fury boiling under her pelt. Her gaze went red, and she was tempted to curl her lip in a feral way.

How dare he speak to her like that?! What gave him the right? He was just brought home by the ShadowClan deputy, and he was insulting _her _loyalty?

She wanted to claw his ears off right here and now. She wanted to make him bleed, to cause him pain. She wanted to hear him screech, feel him thrash under her claws. She wanted to fasten her teeth into his throat and-

She physically flinched at that thought, feeling beyond shocked at herself. All of her anger melted away like ice in the summer sun. Where had these sudden vicious thoughts come from? She had just imagined killing her own Clanmate, for StarClan's sake! Who does that?!

Mistpaw found herself unable to reply to him, and she just stared with wide, horrified eyes at the warrior in front of her. For just a heart-beat, she genuinely had wanted to murder her Clanmate and former denmate. And it terrified her.

Mistpaw bowed her head, growling a soft, "Whatever," before turning and padding, stiff-legged, toward the apprentices' den.

As soon as she was out of sight, she flopped down into her nest, feeling utterly mortified. She couldn't get the feeling of that overpowering fury out of her mind. It had filled her every nerve, energized every muscle, and had nearly blocked out the voice of reason completely.

Was that normal? Did other cats get tempted to claw open the throats of those who make them angry? Did they want to screech in amusement as their victim bled to death by their own claws?

For the first time, Mistpaw was truly and utterly terrified by the prospect that being the Mist meant she truly _was not _like her Clanmates.

What if being the Mist meant she turned into a bloodthirsty monster when she got angry? What if it put all of her friends and family and loved-ones in danger?

...who was she? _What _was she? How in the name of StarClan did her ancestors expect her to be able to handle this?!

* * *

**Yeah, a shorter one. But, whatever!**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	18. Fogkit

**Azura: At last the long wait for this chapter comes to an end! I hope it's to your satisfaction...I spent a while on this, trying to break my writer's block...**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

Pale blue eyes opened and looked around at their surroundings. To the left, the shadowy shape of a sleeping cat stirred slightly, before going still again. The eyes shifted away, blinking at a smaller shape next to the owner of the blue orbs.

Fogkit watched as his sister's flank rose and fell, taking in the dark ginger fur pattern. _So that's what you look like...Gingerkit. I wonder...do I look anything like you?_

The young kit glanced at his own pelt. It was dark gray, with faint tabby markings running along his back. His whiskers twitched; he wondered why he looked so different from his sister. They were siblings...so shouldn't they look somewhat alike?

Disregarding the thought, Fogkit rose to his paws on shaky legs, and then promptly fell over after trying to take a few steps. _Walking is more difficult than I thought. How does mother and the other cats do it?_

The young tom stood back up again, determined. At the very least, he would make it to the other end of the nursery!

But he had barely even taken a few shaky steps before a paw suddenly slapped itself over his tail, effectively putting an end to his small adventure.

Fogkit turned and blinked at the paw, and then saw it belonged to his mother. The kit looked at the she-cat. His mother was dark gray, like he was, but she lacked the tabby stripes her son had.

"What do you think you're doing?" Her voice rumbled softly, and then she seemed to notice something. "Your eyes! They've opened! They look just like your father's..."

Fogkit sat up straight, proud that his mother seemed pleased.

Then the other kit beside him began to stir, and Gingerkit's head rose up. Her eyes were also pale blue, and she stared at Fogkit, before turning to look at their mother.

The larger she-cat purred loudly, "My kits are wonderful," she closed her eyes momentarily, and then opened them again. She turned her attention to Fogkit. "So where were you off to, little one?"

Fogkit's whiskers twitched. "I was going to the other side of the nursery!" He squeaked in response.

Gingerkit looked at him, eyes wide. "I'll go too!" She mewed, before attempting to stand upright. She stumbled a bit, much like Fogkit had, but regained her balance shortly after.

The two kits' mother purred. "Of course. Go explore a little," she ushered them away, "but don't get into any trouble or under any cats' paws."

Fogkit and Gingerkit nodded, and then made their way across the big den - well, it was big to them.

Fogkit was the first to poke his head out of the nursery, and Gingerkit was the first to step foot out of it completely. Fogkit joined his sister next the entrance, and they stared out at the camp.

There were cats everywhere! Cats padding to and fro across the camp, cats emerging from dens, and cats going into those same dens.

"So many cats!" Gingerkit exclaimed, voicing both their thoughts. Fogkit nodded in agreement, and then his gaze was drawn to one corner, where two cats sat crouched. They appeared to be talking quietly to each other. No other cat seemed to be paying them any attention.

One cat had a very dark gray pelt, and amber eyes. A she-cat, Fogkit noticed. The cat that sat next to her was a tom with dark brown fur and eyes that were vividly blue.

Fogkit barely heard his sister, who was prattling on about something. His gaze remained fixed on the two talking cats. Curiosity pierced his pelt, and before he realized what he was doing, he was padding over toward them.

As he drew nearer, he began to make out what they were saying.

"Relax, Graypaw," the brown tom meowed, "I'll deal with the ThunderClan cat. When I'm finished with her, she'll..." the tom stopped talking, noticing that Fogkit was approaching them.

The she-cat, Graypaw, turned to look at Fogkit also, and her eyes narrowed. "How much of that did you hear, kit?" She growled threateningly.

Fogkit shied away from her glare, and mewed in a frightened voice, "N-nothing!"

Graypaw didn't seem to believe him, and she stated this clearly. "I don't believe you," she hissed.

"Graypaw, stop scaring him. He's only a kit." The brown tom interrupted, shooting the she-cat a warning look. Said she-cat just gave an ill-tempered snort in response, and turned away.

The brown tom's gaze returned to Fogkit. "What's your name?" He asked in a friendly voice, looking like he honestly wanted to know the kit's name.

"Fogkit," the young tom replied in a small voice, and then seemed to regain some of his confidence. "What's _your_ name?" He asked.

The brown cat's tail twitched. "I'm Cedarpaw," he replied.

* * *

_Finally! _Mistpaw thought, looking up at the sky. _My confinement to camp is over at last!_

And indeed it was. Her three days were finally gone. Now she could continue her training!

Mistpaw bounded across the ThunderClan camp, feeling as though she could fly. She skidded to a halt next to Hazeltail, who was at the moment, padding across camp.

"Hazeltail!" Mistpaw meowed, "Can we go out and do some battle training? Or maybe hunt?" She was practically bouncing with eagerness. "I'd even settle for going to gather moss! Anything to get out of camp!"

Hazeltail's whiskers twitched in amusement. "I never thought I'd see the day when an apprentice would _want_ to go and gather moss," she teased, "and I certainly didn't think it would be _you._"

Mistpaw was almost dancing on her paws. 'I've been confined to the camp for _three whole days!_" She exclaimed, "Of course I'd use any reason I could to get outside."

Hazeltail rolled her eyes, and then meowed, "Alright. You go and head out into the forest," her mentor meowed, "I'll catch up once I'm done here."

The apprentice's eyes gleamed, and she nodded her head rapidly, before turning and darting toward the camp exit. She nearly crashed into another cat on the way out, however, but manged to stop herself at the last second.

"Careful!" Dovewing exclaimed, almost dropping the two mice she'd been carrying in her jaws. "You almost ran straight into me."

"Sorry!" Mistpaw meowed in response, looking up at the older she-cat. "I'll watch where I'm going next time!"

Dovewing peered at her. "Oh, right. Your confinement to camp has ended, hasn't it?" The warrior's eyes filled with amusement. "I bet it's nice to be able to leave camp again," she meowed.

Mistpaw nodded enthusiastically, her paws itching to run.

Dovewing seemed to realize the apprentice's wish to leave camp, and stepped around the apprentice. "See you," she meowed before heading for the fresh-kill pile.

Mistpaw once again pelted for the forest, ignoring the small brambles that snagged at her pelt along the way. The small of the forest nearly made her mouth water.

The young she-cat stopped once she was a fair distance into the trees. She sat down and waited for her mentor's arrival.

At some point while waiting, Mistpaw had closed her eyes and dozed off. She was jerked awake by the sound of the undergrowth rustling. At first she thought it was Hazeltail, but the scent that flooded her nose wasn't her mentor's. It wasn't even ThunderClan.

Mistpaw was instantly alert. There was a trespasser nearby! Eyes narrowed, she followed the scent, making sure to keep silent.

The trail lead her to the lake. Up ahead, Mistpaw could hear the water against the shore, and the scent of the intruder grew stronger. Mistpaw wondered if the cat she was following was from one of the other Clans.

Mistpaw didn't think so. The cat didn't carry any rival Clan's scent. All the same, though. The trespasser must be chased away.

So as she got closer, Mistpaw was able to make out the shape of a cat crouching near the water, clearly taking a drink from it. Mistpaw's muscles tensed, and she prepared to attack.

In the same instant, the other cat's head snapped around, and caught sight of Mistpaw crouching behind them. The cat gave a startled yowl, and leaped to their paws. But their paws slipped in the slippery lake-side, and the cat plunged head-first into the water.

Mistpaw gave a surprised hiss as water splashed her. She bounded over to the water, and saw the other cat, struggling against the waves.

Mistpaw's eyes narrowed, and she knew she couldn't leave this cat to drown, regardless of wherever they came from. She sighed, and closed her eyes, wishing she didn't have to do this.

_Why does it have to be me?_ She thought hopelessly, and then plunged herself into the cold lake.

* * *

**Finished! I hope you like it. It's not very long, but at least it's something, right?**

**Please review!**

**~TheAzuraStar**


	19. AUTHOR'S NOTE! PLEASE READ THIS!

Hello, readers. I come with bad news that you're probably not going to like.

I have decided to discontinue this story. Now before you start judging my decision and deleting this from your watch/favourites, let me explain.

To be completely honest, I've lost interest in this story. All the plans and ideas I had for it...I can't find the want to write anymore. Lately all of the chapters that I've written have felt forced...they're not even fun anymore. Just tedious and tiring. If I keep writing like this, the only thing that's going to come of it is utter crap.

So instead of putting you through that, I'm just going to end it here. I hope you can understand, and if you can't, I am truly sorry.

On a side note, I _do_ have a new idea for another Warriors story...it's nothing like this one, but I hope you decide to read it when I do get it out there.

Again, I apologize to everyone who likes this story. I'll be deleting it in a few days' time. Thank you for everyone who has stuck with it up until this point, without all of you, it wouldn't have even made it past 5 chapters. So, goodbye, and I hope you will join me on my next story.

~TheAzuraStar


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